Malfoy: Unknown
by MzMalfoy
Summary: When our 3 heroes are captured and taken to Malfoy Manor, the only way Harry and Ron can escape Voldemort is to abandon Hermione... her rescue comes from an unexpected savior. A Dramione fanfic. Follows canon up until they're captured by the Snatchers in DH.
1. On My Own

A/N: Obviously I take no credit for the awesomeness that is JKR.

Anyways, I always wondered what would happen if Harry and Ron hadn't been able to take Hermione with them when they escaped Malfoy Manor... it's been excellent day dream material; here's what I came up with. My goal was to make a believable Dramione story. Let me know how I'm doing!

Rated M for some language and eventually some Dramione lovin'.

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And now I'm all alone again nowhere to turn, no one to go to  
without a home, without a friend, without a face to say hello to

Hermione woke up slowly, every inch of her body aching. Through the pain she felt plush cushions, soft fabrics… and confusion. They'd been camping, on the run for months, where was she? She opened her eyes slowly and saw a small room bathed in a soft pre-dawn glow. It appeared to be a small, personal library or study. It was elegantly furnished with dark woods and rich cloths, a thick rug on the floor, and walls lined with bookshelves. The light was too dim to be able to discern real colors; everything was just various shades of darkness. She was lying on a large sofa across from a fireplace and 2 comfortable looking chairs. How did she end up in a room whose obvious purpose was comfort? She turned her head toward the window to look through the gap between the curtains, hoping to recognize something. At the tiny movement her head spun and her eyes watered at the pain that radiated from the top of her head, down her neck and into her shoulders. She lay still a moment, eyes clenched tight trying to stop the groan the pain was forcing through her lips, she didn't know where she was or what would happen if her presence were noticed. As she lay there she tried to think back about what in the world could've happened to her. Yesterday… they were camping in yet another forest. Ron had finally tuned into Potterwatch and they had listened, with relief and joy, to the familiar voices of Fred, George, Lupin, and Kingsley. Her eyes sprang open and she clamped her hand over her mouth to cover her gasp of shock as she remembered what had happened after: Harry had said You-Know-Who's name! He had violated the Taboo! It all came flooding back to her: the memories of the Snatchers and Greyback discovering their identities and finding the sword of Gryffindor. Her breath came in gasps as she envisioned being bound and taken to Malfoy Manor… she remembered the whispered conversation she'd managed to have with Harry before they were hauled into the mansion.

_"Harry", she whispered urgently, "Listen to me; you have to get away if you can." She continued as he opened his mouth to argue, "No! I mean it; if any of us can get away we have to. We three are the only ones who know about the Horcruxes! If none of us makes it out of here, no one else knows how to kill him. He'll win. He'll kill every one we love!" Her voice broke on the last word. She tried to judge by his expression what his thoughts were but the darkness was too much and his face still too contorted from her stinging jinx._

_ "Hermione…." Harry began, still processing what she had said. He leaned his head on her shoulder as though barely conscious as a Snatcher moved close to them "You're right about no one else knowing, but there's still a chance we can get away!"_

_ "I know that," she muttered against his ear, "but the chances are not good! Promise me that if you and Ron can get away you will, or you and me, or just you. At least one of us has to make it out of here. Promise me that you won't risk being recaptured by coming back to try to save me or Ron!" Harry didn't immediately respond but she counted that as a good thing, thinking that if he was taking a moment to answer her then he was seriously considering this. He had to know she wasn't trying to be a martyr, but for the love of Merlin, one of them- Harry if possible, absolutely had to get out. "This is bigger than any of the three of us, Harry. Promise me." After another pause Harry answered,_

_ "Okay. I promise, you promise me the same thing. Do not give yourself up as some kind of distraction or bargaining chip- they'll never take you anyways, it's me he wants." She nodded against his cheek. _

_ "Tell Ron. Make him promise," she paused, taking a shaky breath. During their whispered conversation they'd come through the gates of Malfoy Manor and were approaching the doors. Before Harry could turn his head she whispered hurriedly, knowing it might be the last chance she had, "You're the bravest man I know, Harry. You're my best friend and I love you." She pressed her lips to his forehead and he shifted and pressed his cheek against hers for a moment before allowing his head to loll toward Ron, still keeping up the pretense that he was barely conscious so their captors would remain ignorant of their desperate communications._

As she lay as still and quiet as possible on the sofa she tried to connect the dots from that conversation with Harry to where she was now, surely she should be in a dungeon or something…. As she concentrated she began getting flashes of what happened after they were ushered into the Malfoy's opulent home. She saw flashes of Lucius and Narcissa peering closely into their faces, especially Harry's, trying to confirm their identities, she saw Draco shrug and walk away toward the fireplace. Her memory was very choppy and distorted, but then she remembered why. _She_ had come in. Bellatrix Lestrange had entered the room and immediately recognized the three of them. But then she was distracted by the sword. Her stomach clenched as memories of what came next surfaced. Hermione remembered trying to stand her ground and not show fear as Harry and Ron were dragged down into the cellar and Bellatrix closed in on her. From this point her memories were hazy and indistinct, all she remembered was pain. Her eyes closed and a tear leaked out from under her lashes as she recalled a sensation that seemed like her very bones were going to catch fire. What Bellatrix screamed at her she did not know. If she was able to answer her, she did not know. And then… she woke up on this couch. Something obviously happened in the interim. How had she gotten here? There was no way she could've escaped, her body felt as though she'd been tortured to within an inch of her life, perhaps she had been. She slowly straightened trying to ignore the pounding of her head and the stiffness in her neck, and felt a soft blanket pool around her waist, had someone covered her up? That was disconcerting. Only Harry would've done that, but she couldn't see how they could've escaped to somewhere like this. She turned cautiously to her right and saw a candelabrum on the end table with a snake elaborately engraved in the silver and that confirmed her suspicions: she was still in Malfoy Manor.

She moved her legs to put her feet on the floor but the pain was too terrible. The shooting pain that had nearly brought her to tears when she first turned her head returned and shot down her left hip. She couldn't hold back the gasp this time and she gave up and slowly lowered herself back to the cushions. She lay still for a moment, trying to gather her strength but she suddenly she heard soft footsteps on the other side of the door. She watched with trepidation as the handle turned. 'Oh not Bellatrix, please not Bellatrix' was the only thought her terrified mind could muster. Slowly from around the door came a flash of nearly white hair. Her face paled as she stared into the cold blue eyes of Draco Malfoy.


	2. Master of the House

A/N: I don't have any claim to Harry Potter or Les Miserables- whose song titles are becoming my chapter titles... just sort of happened.

This is my first fan fic, so please review (constructively)!

* * *

She was shocked to see Malfoy, but immediately felt a small measure of relief, he was probably the Death Eater least likely to torture her on the spot. Humiliate her? Yes. Torture her? Eh, maybe not.

"Granger." He said by way of greeting when he saw she was awake. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Her shocked deepened when she took in his attire, he appeared to be dressed in black linen pajama pants and a black v-neck t shirt. Remembering that the sun wasn't up yet, maybe it wasn't so surprising he was dressed in nightclothes. She also noticed he was barefooted, which made her uncomfortable on top of her fear… something about seeing someone in their pajamas and bare feet was so intimate.

"Malfoy" she tried to reply in the same bored tone, but her voice sounded as though she'd aged fifty years and smoked fifty years' worth of muggle cigarettes overnight. She winced as her throat worked to say those two simple syllables. It burned. It occurred to her that she probably screamed her throat raw while Bellatrix…. Ugh, she couldn't think about it. She turned her attention back to Malfoy who was watching her. She thought about sitting up again so she wouldn't feel so vulnerable or appear weak, but didn't think she had the strength or energy to combat the pain. Her head was throbbing, she could feel her heartbeat inside her skull, and each time she inhaled the left side of her back hurt just a little bit worse. Maybe a broken rib or two?

After a moment's contemplation Malfoy moved into the room and took one of the arm chairs across from her sofa. "How badly are you hurt?" he asked in a quiet voice with a look she'd never seen before. She paused before answering trying to decipher his expression and mood, and trying to determine how to answer. Would he mock her and tell her she deserved every bit of pain his aunt had given her for being a mudblood? Would he report her injuries to Bellatrix or other Death Eaters so they would know what her weaknesses were? Really, did it matter? She had no wand; she had no way of fighting back. But then she remembered Draco refusing to positively identify them last night… what was that about? A moment of humanity out of Draco Malfoy? She supposed stranger things had happened.

"I don't know," she finally replied, deciding to be honest. "I've barely tried to move, but when I have it's been quite unpleasant." He looked at her another moment and replied

"Unpleasant? You're the queen of understatement. My aunt tortured you for nearly an hour last night." He continued after a moment's hesitation, "I mended cuts on your arms and one on your face…another on your throat, a broken pinky finger- I believe she stomped on it- and a busted lip. Those were all the visible wounds that I could see." He took a breath and turned his gaze from his feet to her face, "I also performed a charm that would heal any internal damage to your organs." He watched her eyes widen as he listed her injuries and the measures he'd taken to heal her. Why would he do that? "She kicked you, you see," He replied quietly, as much to himself as to her. "Repeatedly, in the stomach. But if you have any other injuries, I wasn't able to heal them."  
She lay there unable to respond. She just stared into his blue, almost silver, eyes and could not for the life of her figure out why he would have healed her. Several moments passed when his impatience show and he roughly asked "Well Granger? Where the hell else are you hurt?"

"A rib, at least one. On my left side. My left hip and my head and neck are also quite painful." She gasped out in a hurried whisper, why did he care?

Malfoy stood and stepped forward until he towered over her. He raised his wand and ignoring her flinch of fear, moved it over her hip with an intense look on his face. Suddenly her hip warmed and she squeezed her eyes tight as the sensation grew until it was uncomfortably hot. Was he hurting her on purpose? Apparently he was quite good at nonverbal spells, because he said nothing, so she was in the dark about what he was actually doing to her. As the pain got to the point she was about to beg him to stop, it eased.

"Better?" He asked gently. She moved her leg wearily and yes, it was. She gave a slight nod, still unsure and suspicious of him. "Can you point to which ribs are broken?" He asked in the same soft tone. Had someone who cared taken Polyjuice potion to look like Malfoy? He was usually like the Grinch in the Muggle children's story, his heart was 2 sizes too small. Where had this… concern come from? She nodded and tried to shift her position to roll over to give him access to her bruised or broken rib, but gasped and clutched for his arm in a reflex action. She froze and waited for the pain to lessen as it did she realized that she had grabbed onto him and quickly let go, her eyes shooting up to his, waiting for some look of disgust, for him to wipe his hand off and make some remark about contaminating him with her dirty mudblood hand. To her shock he did none of those things. Instead he slowly sat on the cushion next to her.  
"How about I point and you tell me when I'm in the right area," he held his wand up at her waist and slowly moved toward her shoulder on the side she had mentioned. He looked into her eyes, waiting for her to nod to let him know where the break was. She was having trouble concentrating; he had never really looked her in the eye before, certainly never without a smirk or hatred on his pale face. She noticed that his face was gaunt, even more so than last year at Hogwarts. There were dark circles under his eyes and his collarbones were very prominent. Merlin, it looked as though he hadn't eaten well in months. As his hand approached her aching rib she nodded. He raised an eyebrow as though to confirm the location and she nodded again. She watched his face gain intensity as his magic stirred, it became more chiseled and his eyes darkened. Before the pain of healing distracted her, Hermione was hit by a shocking realization: Draco Malfoy was incredibly handsome.

They sat still a moment as she caught her breath from the rib being healed, still contemplating the other. Suspicion, fear, and perhaps a little wonder in her eyes, and his completely unreadable, but without a trace of the smirk that usually marred his features.

"That leaves your head and neck I believe?" He asked, she nodded again, still confused and worried about what his motives were. Why would Draco Malfoy take the time to heal the wounds of a mudblood? "Well I have a potion for your head, but I think your neck is probably just strained…"he paused, swallowed and continued quietly, "She had your head pulled back by your hair. I thought she was going to slit your throat right there." He opened his mouth to continue, but checked himself at the last moment. Instead he silently unstoppered a vial and passed it to her, she accepted it reluctantly. "Do you need help sitting up?" He asked after a moment, his tone still lacked any malice.

"Oh… no, no I don't thi-" She tried to sit up but the pounding in her head increased exponentially.

"Here… easy does it, just enough to drink the potion without drowning in it." Her shock reached its highest level yet as he took one of her hands in his and placed his other hand beneath her shoulders and every so gently eased her into a sitting position and held her there while she swallowed the potion, gratefully.  
She lay back down after downing the contents of the vial, deciding if it were poison it would probably save her from a worse fate once Bellatrix found her again, plus Malfoy seemed to have no malicious intent…. Which was still bloody strange.

"Thank you," she croaked and slumped back to the pillows. "Malfoy… why are you doing this?" she asked slowly, unable to curb her curiosity.

"For a lot of reasons," he responded eventually and did not elaborate. "I'm going to get a house elf to bring me breakfast. Do you think you could eat something?" He asked changing the subject before she could ask him anything.

"Yes, I think so. My head is feeling better already" she responded.

"Anything in particular?" he asked. Will wonders never cease? Draco freaking Malfoy had asked her what she wanted for breakfast. She was here against her will, held captive after being tortured half to death and he wanted to take her breakfast order?

"Um, no. I haven't had a decent meal in so long I'll be happy with anything," she replied honestly. When _was_ the last time she'd had a full meal? It had been a long time since they'd ventured close enough to civilization to sneak into a muggle store or house for food.

"That's what I figured; you're skin and bones, Granger. You were light as a feather when I carried you in here last night." With that he turned and walked through the door, leaving it ajar.  
Wait. _Malfoy_ carried her in here? _He_ put her into bed and covered her up? She wiggled her toes; he'd even taken her shoes off. She already knew he'd healed her some during the night… she glanced at her arm and her eyes widened in shock as she saw the number of thin white scars there, but there was no blood on her clothing or the blankets. Had he cleaned her up also? This was madness. She was in some parallel universe where Malfoy was nice and maybe the sky was pink, there were two suns and Dumbledore was a moron. Who carries a captive up to bed and tucks them in? She heard Malfoy speak to someone in the next room but couldn't make out the words. He came back in bearing a tray laden with enough food to feed even Ron.

"Alright, Granger. I don't know what you like so I just had Trixie bring double my usual order. I instructed her not to tell anyone. The last thing we need is for Bellatrix to find out I gave you breakfast." He said as he pulled a small table over between the chair and couch and sat the tray down. "Do you think you can sit up?" he asked, appraising her. She was still lying on her back, staring at him, mostly dumbfounded.

"Yeah, I think so." This time she was more successful and slowly sat up, feeling no sharp pain, just the ache of abused muscles. She knew he was powerful and intelligent but apparently he knew his healing spells better than she did. Few wizards, especially young ones, bothered with them. Who'd have thought? "Do you think I could have some tea? My throat…" She began, but he was already pouring.

Draco watched her eat; every now and then she pressed a finger to her lower lip where Bellatrix had split it. He hadn't healed it very well apparently. Well not bloody surprising seeing as how he was using his mother's wand. Saint Potter had buggered off with his. Damn him. Now Draco was in the middle of a war and was having to ask to borrow his mummy's wand. As if his life wasn't humiliating and miserable enough. He watched as after a bite or two she began eating with an urgency he'd never seen from her. Usually it was Weaselbee that was disgusting at the table. But, instead of disgust he felt pity. He remembered how light she'd been and how he'd been able to feel all her ribs when he'd carried her into the room last night.

"Slow down, Granger. You'll toss it if you keep eating that fast. I'm not going to take it away before you finish, I promise." He tried to work up a sneer but it didn't come, instead his words came out quiet and gentle and he could see her face flush. Well maybe she'd think of her embarrassment instead of how uncharacteristically nice he was being. What was wrong with him? Merlin help him if he was developing a soft spot for Granger.

"You aren't eating." Hermione observed as she reached for her tea. She held his gaze, her eyes having finally cleared of pain. He didn't respond, he just reached for a plate and scooped some eggs and fruit onto it. They ate for a few moments in silence. He realized that this was the most pleasant meal he'd had in a while. He didn't have to listen to scheming or plotting or boastful talk of cruelty. Or deal with that damn snake slithering underneath his chair… he shivered at the thought.

"Malfoy…," Hermione began hesitantly, her eyes focused resolutely on her toast, "Will you tell me if Harry got away?" He studied her a moment, until she looked up at him, unable to stand the wait.

"Potter and the Weasel both Disapparated." He responded with no inflection. "They left you and buggered off." He watched her shoulders slump and her eyes flutter shut. Was that relief? Was she glad they left her? That made no sense. "You seem relieved. You're glad they left you bloodied and broken on the floor, surrounded by Death Eaters, with the Dark Lord at the door?" he demanded. Why this made him so angry he wasn't sure. He was shocked at Potter's actions though, he couldn't believe he had abandoned her and taken off. Didn't Potty love to play hero?

"I'm glad that they managed to get away, yes. Would I rather they hadn't left me? …I don't know. If leaving me was the only way they could get safely away then yes, I'm glad they did." She slowly ate a few more bites of her breakfast. "Will you tell me what happened? I don't really remember anything after she started…" she trailed off, apparently not wanting to say 'torturing me'.

"She wanted to know how you came to be in possession of the Sword of Gryffindor." He paused and studied her… he was quite curious about this as well. "You managed to convince her it was a fake." He watched as her face paled.

"Did… I… w-what happened to it?" She stammered. Some poker face, Granger, he thought to himself with a smirk. He couldn't fathom how Bellatrix had believed her. She wouldn't be worried about a _fake_ Sword of Gryffindor.

"Well, it was chaos, but last I saw it the goblin had it and Potter took him along when he Disapparated." He watched her like a hawk. She maintained eye contact but she released the death grip she had on her fork, blood returning to her knuckles that had turned white.

"How did you get it?" He asked quietly. "It's supposed to be in her vault in Gringotts." She looked him dead in the eye and answered,

"How did we get a fake Sword of Gryffindor? I conjured it; you know I'm best in our year at charms. We were going 'round the twist from boredom, just the three of us for so long. I did it to pass the time, took me days to get it right." He knew she was lying, well about the sword. He was sure she _was_ bored with only Potter and Weasel-bee for company.

"Sure thing, Granger." He said, his smirk firmly back in place for the comment. "We'll leave it there for now. Well anyway, she went at you for… Merlin, it felt like hours, but you stuck to your story." In his mind's eye he could see her writhing on the floor and he could still hear her screams. Bellatrix went after her until she was too weak to respond. He hadn't been able to tear his eyes away as he watched blood seep out of the slices made with Bellatrix's short knife. She just lay still and silent on the rug, her face completely white, barely breathing, eyes rolled back in her head. He could barely stomach it the night before and it wasn't any easier now. He'd had to resist the compulsion to throw himself bodily over top of her to stop Bellatrix. Why he felt so strongly he had no idea. He'd seen plenty of people tortured in that very room. He'd been forced to do some of it himself. But he couldn't believe that he had watched a member of his own family torture a half-starved, innocent, seventeen year old girl. He couldn't think of a word bad enough to describe his hatred at being related to such people. Well bollucks to that, as soon as he could think of a way he was out this mess.  
He continued after a moment, "The goblin confirmed your story and told her it was a fake. Then… she summoned Him." He absently rubbed his left forearm as he stared into the cold fireplace, remembering. "Somehow Potter and Weasley found a way out of the cellar and burst into the room… Apparently they managed to kill Pettigrew and had his wand. It was madness… but Potter and Weasel managed to Disarm everyone in the room. He got away with a couple wands actually, including mine, the bastard." Still staring into space he missed Hermione's reaction to hearing that Harry had gotten away with a wand, her eyes closed for a moment as if saying a silent prayer. She opened them and watched his face as he continued. "But Bellatrix was determine to have the upper hand… she pulled your head up off the floor by our hair and put her knife to your throat." He paused to clear his throat and took a deep breath, trying to get the vision out of his mind. "Potter and Weasley were about to throw down their wands when our old house elf shows up and drops the bloody chandelier on Bellatrix… and on you as she was standing over you." He was utterly bewildered as he mentioned Dobby, what he'd been doing there Draco had no idea. "Potter shouted something about the Dark Lord being at the gate, how he knew I've got no idea, but it was pandemonium. He shouted for you, I think. Potter. But you were too far gone to respond much less try to get yourself away. He shouted to Weasley that they were out of time… After he, Weasley, Dobby, and the goblin Disapparated everyone panicked. It didn't take us more than a second to realize that when the Dark Lord came in and saw that Potter had gotten away, again, we were done for. There was a mad scramble for the door; I grabbed you and Disapparated with you to my room. I got in just in time; as soon as I laid you down I could hear him screaming. Luckily he doesn't think very much of me, because he didn't think to call me back to the drawing room… my parents, Bellatrix, Greyback and all those moron snatchers are probably feeling worse than you are this morning. Well, he killed the snatchers, but my family survived… for better or worse I don't know. I don't think he remembered I existed, he was too furious to think straight, which I'm quite pleased about. Obviously." He looked over at her, and her face was ashen.

"So he… and Bellatrix… your parents, do they know I'm here?" she asked in a shocked, hoarse whisper.

"No. I don't think they do. What does he care about a mudblood anyway?" He watched her wince at the term, seriously, she should be used to that, hadn't he been calling her that for like 6 years now? "Well, he _would_ care I suppose… you would make excellent bait for The Boy Who Lived."

"Are you going to tell them then?" She asked her fear moving towards anger. Apparently she didn't enjoy being at his mercy, he smirked at the thought, but his face soon fell into a more thoughtful expression.

"No, Granger, I don't reckon I am." How could he turn her over to them? Not that he gave a single damn about her, of course not, but did she deserve Bellatrix's or the Dark Lord's wrath? No. No one really did. He felt a little shame at the way he'd thought and behaved as little as a year ago. What did these people think would happen if they wiped out all the muggleborns? There'd be no one left for the purebloods to marry! Bloody idiots, the lot of them. Did they really have so little foresight? They'd been interbreeding for long enough as it was, it wouldn't take many more generations for them to start being born cross-eyed and Merlin knew what else. Plus, the more he'd though about it over the last year, the more he wondered what about coming from wizard parents made him any better than Granger coming from muggle parents. She was just as powerful, just as- if not more intelligent than he was. She was lovely. Wait, what the eff was that? Did he just think that Granger was lovely? Bollucks, Hermione Granger wasn't lovely. He raised his head to study her. She was easily fifteen pounds underweight. Her skin marred with bruises and dark circles under her eyes, her ridiculous hair was as bushy as ever…well he assumed it would be once she let it out of her braid, her buck teeth were… wait. He looked at her mouth where she was biting her lip in thought and noticed that her teeth were straight and even. Huh. When had that happened? She felt his gaze and glanced up at him, warm brown eyes meeting his cool blue ones.

"Why?" She asked. Why what? He wondered, having completely lost the conversation in his musings. "Why don't I turn you over to my evil aunt and the Dark Lord you mean?" he asked, she nodded. "Well…. For a lot of reasons" he echoed his earlier reply.

"I guess you aren't going to elaborate. Well then… what now?" she asked him.

"I haven't quite worked that out yet. I got home 2 days ago for Easter break so we've got almost 2 weeks before we have to get you out of here." It weirded him out that he kept saying 'we'. He didn't want to have a 'we' with Granger. He wanted to get away from her for a little while, he didn't like these thoughts. "I'm going to leave you for now, but let me show you something first." He came around to a bookshelf to the right of the window. "I've put an Undetectable Extension Charm on this space behind the shelf. To get back there you just pull out the copy of Frankenstein and-"

"You read muggle fiction?" Hermione cut him off, shocked.

"Occasionally. I have to say though, I'm not sure if I enjoyed this book. It's kind of depressing really… Frankenstein's monster is actually inherently good, compassionate even… Frankenstein turns him evil by rejecting him even when he does everything he can to better himself… he even learns to speak. But Frankenstein refuses to acknowledge him…." Draco trailed off, Hermione lo**o**k at him aghast. "Anyway," he continued before she could side track him any further… he'd talked more to her this morning than he had to his family in the last year. Strange. "Pull out the book and the book case will scoot away from the wall and reveal a small chamber behind it. No one knows it's there but me… and now you. Hopefully no one will come in, my mother knows I hate it if she lets herself into my room and my father never bothers to come down this wing anyway, but if you hear anything strange get back there as quick as you can and I'll get you when the coast is clear."

"Okay." She agreed quietly. "I'm actually exhausted… d'you think that I should sleep in there?" Draco thought about it for a moment.

"I think for today you'll be fine. Everyone else is recovering, too so they'll be holed up in their chambers as well. This is my personal space; it's extremely unlikely that anyone will come in… I just wanted to show you that… in case." He started to go but turned back, thinking of how she'd been living lately. "Actually, Granger…. This sounds… strange. But if you'd like to have a bath you can. I have a private bathroom. I can shrink some of my clothes for you so you can have something clean to wear. I'd rather not have my couch smell like a homeless person to be honest." He hadn't really noticed any odor from her, but he had to add it because the rest of it made him feel like he was going soft. He watched the fire light in her eyes when he insulted her but then he saw as her thoughts shifted to how welcome a hot bath would be after living rough for so long and then being tortured last night. "Come on, I'll show you."


	3. At the End of the Day

It's a struggle, it's a war  
And there's nothing that anyone's giving  
One more day standing about, what is it for?  
One day less to be living.

Hermione was in heaven. She gently rolled her neck and sank a little deeper into the hot sudsy water. She was in Malfoy's gigantic claw foot tub. She opened her eyes and gazed around what had to be the most beautiful bathroom she'd ever seen. The white marble floors with the ceiling enchanted to look like a starry night sky. The walls were painted a soft muted green… it made her think of being in the woods at dusk in springtime. She wondered how long had it been since she'd had a proper bath. How long had it been since they'd left Grimmauld Place? Well she was going to make up for it now. The heat seeped into her sore muscles and some of the tension began to leave them. She took a deep breath and tried to relax… Harry and Ron were fine. They had gotten away, they had the sword…. The sword. Why would it be in the Lestrange's vault? That was odd. What did it mean? No, no riddles, this bath time was for relaxing and recuperating. She leaned her head back against a towel lying on the back of the tub, cushioning her still tender scalp and breathed in the steamy air.

After she had wallowed for nearly three quarters of an hour and her fingers were wrinkly she climbed out of the tub and dried off with an extremely fluffy towel, it was the softest thing she'd touched in months. She turned to her clothes on the floor and now that she was out of them and finally clean, she saw that they were absolutely filthy. She didn't want to put them back on. Maybe Malfoy would actually lend her something to wear like he'd said. At least until she could figure out how to wash her clothes by hand since she was without a wand. She glanced down to see just how exposed she was… the towel stopped at mid-thigh, hm. Not optimal, but it would have to do. She walked to the door and peeked out; she couldn't see or hear Malfoy anywhere. She glanced at the bed and saw a set of cotton pants and a t shirt that seemed too small for him, he must have actually shrunk them for her. Huh, that was nice…. If a bit bizarre. This new nice Malfoy would take some getting used to, but she doubted it was a permanent change and he'd be back to his normal, snide, cruel self in no time. That was a Malfoy she knew how to handle. She quickly got dressed and returned to the study. She really was exhausted, she turned to the couch to lie down, but it felt too vulnerable. Anyone could waltz in and find her asleep there, completely defenseless. She looked at the bookshelf and weighed her options. How much room was back there? Was it gross and spidery? She walked over and pulled Frankenstein out and the shelf slid soundlessly out from the wall. The area concealed behind it turned out to be about half the size of her own bedroom at home, with more than enough space to lie down on the floor and enough height for even Malfoy to stand up straight and not stoop to avoid the ceiling. There was a pile of neatly folded blankets and pillows in the corner. Even a lamp. Well this was an easy decision. She'd just hang out hidden in here until Malfoy came back. She grabbed the book she'd been reading and climbed into the hidden space, the shelf slid soundlessly back to its position and the small lamp hissed to life. Far from being creepy, the small space was actually cozy. It was probably barely tolerable by Malfoy's standards, but was more than sufficient for her. She made a small mat with blankets folded in half and lay down, stretching her sore muscles. She hoped Malfoy wouldn't be gone all day… why she felt so safe with him she had no idea. Yes, he had saved her from Voldemort, but he still couldn't be trusted. He was Malfoy: hater of muggleborns. But she _did_ feel safe with him. Maybe it was because she had changed so much during this war that she didn't find it so shocking to think that he could change as well.

She looked again around the small room and was honestly a bit surprised that he'd been able to this. The charm was quite complicated and he had done an excellent job. She remembered with chagrin that while she was always the top of the class, he had been a pretty close second. Too bad he hadn't been in Ravenclaw, they might've stood a chance at being friends. She breathed deep and settled down in the blankets and closed her eyes. She was so bloody tired. She'd just sleep until Draco came back.

Draco stayed away from his room for the rest of the day. He was avoiding her, yes, he could admit that. It made him squirm when he thought about how _soft_ he'd been with her today. Just because he was tired of this war didn't mean he wanted to be soft. He wandered aimlessly around the manor, eventually landing in the library, his favorite room in the house aside from his own private study. He'd been right about his family recovering in their rooms, there was a pervasive silence all throughout the house and he had encountered no one in his wanderings. He moved around the room gazing up at the shelves, but doubting he could sit down and focus for any length of time on anything. He was starting to feel more at ease though; libraries always did this for him. The silence was so deep and soothing, the smell of centuries old texts… he loved it. He smirked as he thought of what people would say if they found that out about him. Draco Malfoy: closet bookworm. Oh well. Really his mother was the only one who knew, or cared, about his love of books. When she returned from her trips to London or Paris or wherever her pursuits of fashion and other frivolous things took her, he would find a new book on his bed or sent to him at school with Hermes. The most recent one was a first edition of The Count of Monte Cristo in French. He'd thoroughly enjoyed it. Father would shit a gold brick if he discovered him reading Muggle fiction, but he could just sod off. The man was clueless really; if he ever cared enough to actually look at the shelves in Draco's room he'd see that 80 per cent of the books on his shelves were of that genre. He wondered what Granger was reading, maybe she'd enjoy reading the Dumas novel, did she speak French? Probably, the girl new everything. Anyway, what did he care if she would like that book or not? He _didn't_ care. Not at all. Disgusted with himself for thinking about her when she wasn't worth it, he decided he'd go flying. That _always_ made him feel better, he went out the French doors, across the patio and to their stable where the brooms were kept. He flew for several hours. He felt as though his problems and worries were left on the ground as he rocketed above the vast holdings of Malfoy Manor. It was exhilarating. Finally he slowed to hover and watch the sun set. As he watched the light fade some of his distress returned. Fuck he hated his life right now. He wanted out. He wanted that vile mark off of his arm. He did not want to be known as a vicious, self-serving bastard like his father and he did not want to blindly follow Voldemort to the destruction of the wizarding race. If the war stayed on the track that it was on, they'd all end up dead. He didn't want to be killed fighting for a cause he didn't believe in. For a cause that was in all reality detrimental to all wizards, even purebloods.

As the sun sank below horizon he sighed and slowly flew back to the stable. He guessed he'd just have to try and skate by on the periphery like he had been. Try to go unnoticed and try to not kill or be killed. What he really wanted was to just stay on the broom and fly until he didn't recognize anything or anyone and just start completely over and not participate in the war at all… not under his father's thumb, not expect to grow up and be a good little Death Eater and kill, rape, and torture just for the fun of it. God it disgusted him.

He slowly made his way back to his room, wondering what to ask the house elves for supper. He was getting hungry, Granger probably was also. Hopefully she could put on a couple pounds and regain some strength before he tried to get her out. He walked into his bedroom and saw that the clothes he'd shrunk for her were no longer on the bed, good. She'd looked a mess in her torn, filthy, and too big clothes.

"It's me, Granger." He called softly, not wanting to scare her. He was taking off his sweater when he realized that she hadn't answered him or come into the room. Maybe she was sleeping. He toed off his shoes and emptied his pockets on the dresser, he was ready to put on some comfortable clothes and be lazy, tired from flying for so long. He waltzed into the sitting room, fully prepared to wake her up but saw the couch was empty. Hot, sticky panic rolled through his system: had she tried to get out? Surely she wouldn't be that stupid! He stormed over to the bookshelf and breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw that Frankenstein was not there. Thank god, she was just hiding. He reached for another book that was a secondary trigger for the shelf, picked it up and stepped into the hidden space that the shelf revealed. He paused to look at her, curled up on her side with her back to him. She looked so small. His clothes swallowed her up even though he'd shrunk them. The t-shirt had ridden up around her waist exposing a couple inches of her back. It was black and blue. He felt something stir in him and he didn't like it. Was it pity? He decided to let her sleep. He exited the room but left the shelf open so that if she woke she'd know he was out here. He summoned a house elf and ordered dinner. He could ask for something else for her if she didn't like the stew he'd requested. He went to his bedroom and put on some flannel pants and a soft t-shirt. Returning to his library he sprawled out on the couch to wait for his supper, what was taking so long? He flicked his mother's wand to the fire that had gone out; he'd gotten chilled while he was flying.

He heard the rattle of plates and turned to see Trixie carrying a tray with the food he'd asked for. She sat it on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Anything else for Master Draco?" She squeaked.

"No, that's all. Thank you, Trixie." Apparently the elf had remembered that Hermione was here because the stew was in a large bowl with 2 individual bowls stacked on the tray. As he filled his bowl Granger's emaciated frame came into his mind. Dammit he _was_ getting soft. He pushed himself up off the couch with a frown and went back to her.

"Granger… wake up," he spoke quietly; he didn't want her to freak out on him. "Granger, dinner…" he reached down and gently shook her shoulder and she jerked away and flipped on to her back with wide eyes. As soon as she saw him she relaxed though, good. He didn't feel like tears or histrionics right now. He wanted to eat his bloody dinner. "Are you hungry?" He asked, somewhat impatiently. She nodded and he turned to go back to his food, she could follow when she was ready- he was going to eat. He hadn't actually had an appetite in quite a while. He sat down and saw that she was right behind him. They ate in a slightly uncomfortable silence, neither really knowing what to say to the other and Draco not really caring to say anything at all.

When they'd eaten their fill Draco stood and looked down at her, "Do you need anything, Granger?"

"No, I don't think so. Thank you." She answered timidly, did she still think he was going to hurt her? Well, he couldn't really blame her for not trusting him. But bloody hell, he'd saved her from the Dark Lord, did that count for nothing?

"Alright then, I'm going to bed." He turned on his heel and walked out, but he stopped at the door, turned to her and added "Good night, Granger."

"Good night, Malfoy." She responded automatically. He nodded and pulled the door to behind him, not quite closing it. It made her feel a bit better actually, having the door open that one inch. She took it to mean that she could call to him or go to him if she needed to. A fully closed door would've definitely discouraged that. She turned down the lamps and settled into the couch. As she lay in the dark listening to Malfoy moving quietly in his room her doubts and fears began to creep in. She clutched the blanket closer and wondered if she'd make it out of here alive. If any of them would. Where were Harry and Ron? Were they hurt? Would they make some hare-brained attempt to rescue her? She lay in the fire-lit room and watched different scenarios play out in her mind, each worse than the first. Maybe she would die here…only 18 years old… She was grateful when exhaustion began to take over and she fell asleep, her trials having completely sapped her strength.

* * *

Author's Note: Not a whole lot going on in this chapter, we'll get on to chapter 4 quickly, I promise.


	4. Turning

Same old story, what's the use of tears?  
What's the use of praying if there's nobody who hears?

She awoke with the light of a full moon beaming in the window and an amazing need to pee. She got up and crept through into Malfoy's bedroom heading towards the bathroom. She was in Draco Malfoy's bedroom. How bizarre. She smiled to herself, picturing the looks on Harry and Ron's faces if they had known. It's not like they were _doing_ anything, but still. The bathroom was washed in the glow of the moon, appearing brilliantly in the enchanted ceiling. She went about her business then tiptoed back into the bedroom, this time glancing toward the gigantic bed. She could make out Malfoy in its center, the covers down around his waist and his pale skin all but glowing in the moonlight. It was quite chilly in the bedroom away from the fire in the study, he must be freezing. Unable to resist, she moved closer to the bed, feeling drawn towards it but feeling anxious about waking him at the same time. She could already imagine his scathing remarks if he caught her standing over him. Her lips parted and her eyes widened as she got close enough to make him out properly. Wow. He was perfectly formed. His tall frame masked the amount of muscle that he had but without his shirt she could fully appreciate it. His face was relaxed and peaceful without sneer or smirk and without the sadness that seemed to linger that she doubted he even knew was there. She saw faint scars scattered across his chest and frowned: Harry had put those there. She was still outraged that he hadn't turned that book in. Hadn't she told him it was bad news? She saw a mass of dark bruising on one of his shoulders and disappearing down his back. She wondered what had happened there and why he hadn't healed them. Her shiver brought her back to the reality that she was standing here in the chill air like a stalker watching Malfoy sleep. As she turned to go, she noticed that he was covered in goose bumps- he was cold, too. Should she cover him? He'd taken such care of her the night before… but would he wake up and yell at her? Surely in a moment he'd wake up himself or pull the covers up in his sleep. As she debated he shivered and rolled over, curling into himself a bit. With a small sigh she reached out and pulled the sheet and blanket up to his shoulders and tucked them down. She went quietly back to her couch and fell asleep almost immediately with the image of a shirtless Malfoy branded into her mind.

Draco lay in stunned silence. He'd woken as soon as she'd opened the door into his room. Being suspicious of every single person in the house made him a very light sleeper. He immediately wondered if she were going to try to sneak out, had he overestimated her intelligence that much? He'd have to stop her and drag her back. He relaxed as he heard her enter the bathroom. How long would it take for him to stop being so bloody suspicious of everyone after he got away from all this? Would it every go away? Probably not. He was raised on suspicion and scheming the way other people were raised on love and affection. Well, he'd heard they were anyway. Her return to the bedroom distracted him and his suspicious nature returned full force as he listened to her creep towards him. What was she doing? Had she found some weapon and was going to try to kill him or debilitate him so he wouldn't try to hinder her escape? He couldn't think of anything she could've found in the bathroom, but she did have a mean right hook. He grimaced internally at the memory but he had deserved it, without question. He wasn't too worried, there was no way she could physically overpower him. But she just stood there for a few moments without making a sound. He maintained his pretense of sleep, fighting the urge to ask her what the fuck she was doing and throw some comment at her to distract himself from his own discomfort. He realized that he was cold, having kicked the covers down to his waist during the night. He didn't want to give away that he was awake but he was very uncomfortable, how long was she going to stand there? What the bloody hell was she doing? He fought the urge to open his eyes. Her breathing was calm and slow, he figured if she were about to attack she'd have some adrenaline pumping and he'd be able to hear that in her breathing pattern. Unable to hold still under her scrutiny any longer he rolled to his side, away from her. Come on woman, go away, this is weird. His eyes flew open as he felt her reach down and grasp the blankets; thankfully he was turned away so she couldn't see. He lay in shock as she covered him up and patted the blankets down behind his back and tucked him in. Granger had just covered him up, why would she do that? She couldn't give 2 damns in Hell about him; he'd been verbally abusing her for the last seven years. He heard the door to his study creak and she was gone. He didn't know what to think. He just didn't understand people who were inherently good, having never spend any time with one. So was that it then? Hermione Granger was just _good_? He felt a familiar longing in his chest, a longing that he _loathed_. He hated feeling like a patsy but he wanted someone, _anyone_, to care about him and show it. He knew his mother cared, but she had to maintain a cold exterior or endure the wrath of his father. He wanted to be cared for, he wanted to know that he mattered. Could it be possible that Granger could come to care for him? He instinctively scoffed at the idea but then wondered: why not? If he really wanted out of his parents' lifestyle and wanted to change his ways, who better to start over with than Granger, the person he'd treated the worst of anyone? Hm. Something to think about. He slowly drifted back to sleep.

Hermione awoke the next morning feeling better than the day before, thankfully. She could hear Malfoy moving around in his bedroom and she assumed that's what had woken her up. She stretched and only a few muscles protested, he'd done such an amazing job healing her that she might have to thank him again. She ran her tongue over her teeth… she needed to brush them. She'd hidden her bag in her sock when the Snatcheres had caught them, what had happened to it? She thought she had a toothbrush in there, but it may have been left in the tent. She moved to the door and knocked.

"Malfoy? May I come in?" She didn't want to barge in if he were getting dressed. The image of his naked chest flashed through her mind and she blushed.

"Yeah, Granger, come on." He responded, his voice thick with sleep and her blush deepened. The only word to describe it was …sexy. She pushed open the door and walked in to find him pulling on a shirt, she wished she'd been just a bit quicker. Whoa, down girl.

"Um, I think you took my shoes off the other night…" she watched him nod, "Did you find anything in my sock? A purple bag?" She had her fingers crossed mentally, she had a lot of stuff in that bag and she hoped he had it.

"Oh, yeah. I had forgotten about it." He reached over to his nightstand and opened the top drawer, pulled out her bag and tossed it to her.

"Oh, thank goodness! I'm dying to brush my teeth!" She reached her hand in up to her elbow and felt around for her toothbrush and finding it, looked up at his surprised face. "Oh, Undetectable Extension Charm. Do you mind?" she asked and gestured to the bathroom.

"Not at all, make yourself at home."

That day and the next few passed uneventfully. Draco was polite but distant. They talked about a lot of things, mostly literature or safe topics about school, but they never touched on anything personal or significant. Hermione found herself surprised by him, again. She'd never spoken to him long enough to discover that he was intelligent and eloquent, that he could keep up with her in conversation and actually challenge her and make her think. When he'd asked her what her favourite Muggle book was they'd talked about Pride and Prejudice for some time. He'd offered insight into Mr. Darcy's arrogance that she'd never thought about. Someone telling Hermione Granger something from a book she'd read and hadn't learned was unprecedented. She loved the character of Mr. Darcy towards the end of the book, but until Elizabeth makes him open up and become more accepting, he was really very frustrating. Malfoy's perspective was that it wasn't Mr. Darcy's fault; he'd been raised with his family telling him that he was better than a certain class of people and that it was hard to break free from the teachings of your childhood. Maybe they'd gotten more personal than she realized, she thought as she noticed the startling similarities between Draco and Mr. Darcy. She smirked to herself, maybe she was the Elizabeth Bennett to his Mr. Darcy. He'd always been the last man on earth she could ever be prevailed upon to marry, that was for sure. Well… the old Malfoy was. She'd reserve judgment on the new Malfoy to see if he actually stuck around. Over those few days they grew more comfortable with each other's presence and each gained insights into how the other thought and felt. Draco learned more about Hermione than she about him because she was open by nature, where he'd been brought up to show no weakness or emotion.

On the morning of the fifth day of her confinement in Malfoy Manor she was enjoying another bath. She had started to doze when she heard Malfoy's voice in the bedroom, he was talking to someone. A woman! Oh sweet Merlin, please don't be Bellatrix.

"No, Mother, I'm not feeling well. I'm going to take my lunch in here," his deep voice resonated through the door… she was unable to hear the woman's response which was spoken much more softly. Well, at least it was his mother and not anyone else. She had the sneaking suspicion that Narcissa was the Malfoy she had to worry about least. "Mother, no, thank you. What?" She heard him question. Were they moving closer? "Yes, you do smell bath soaps, I told you I wasn't feeling well so I've run myself a bath and am getting in in just a moment as soon as I finish this chapter in my book." She held her breath; surely Narcissa wouldn't come into the bathroom! What reason would she have to come into her son's bathroom? She watched as a shadow moved across under the door, she sunk down a bit lower with only her nose and eyes above the water, ready to duck under the foam at the slightest indication that Mrs. Malfoy was coming into the bathroom. She took a deep breath as the door handle began to turn.

"Thank you, I'm just going to take my bath now, the water will be cold if I don't go now. I'll see you later, Mother…" The door opened slightly and she heard Narcissa murmur something and the bedroom door into the hallway closed a moment later. "Granger?" Draco whispered after a moment.

"Mhmm?" She squeaked out, wiping suds from her face.

"She's gone… she was hell-bent on making me eat with her. Apparently you aren't the only one who's noticeably lost weight lately." He said to her over his shoulder as he kept his back to her. Not that he could see anything through the layer of bubbles, but she appreciated it all the same.

"Malfoy…" Hermione began, this whole situation made no sense… he'd saved her life and now he'd been rude enough to run off his own mother to make sure her presence remained a secret. "Why are you doing this?" She asked quietly. "Why did you save me?" She watched him turn his head back away from her and lower it to his chest. He backed into the room and closed the door. She sank to her chin in the bubbles even though she wasn't too worried about him seeing anything, they had to be every bit of 5 inches thick. He moved into the bathroom, politely keeping his eyes averted, and sat on the floor, leaning against a cabinet near the head of the tub. She turned and laid her forearms on the edge and rested her chin on her hands waiting for his answer. She was expecting one, if he hadn't wanted to answer, he wouldn't have come in. He sat for a moment, his eyes unfocused. She waited patiently, assuming that he was gathering his thoughts.

"Would you rather I hadn't saved you?" He asked, with a trace of the sneer on his face.

"Obviously not. I'm just trying to understand. You know me, I hate not knowing the answer" she laughed softly.

"Why I must have a reason? Would you need a reason for having saved me? No," he answered himself, "but that's because you're a good person I suppose." He sighed. After a couple of beats he continued, "What if I'm tired? Tired of seeing people tortured. I'm tired of being forced to do the torturing. Tired of this effing war. I've had… an epiphany if you can believe it, Granger. This pureblood religion, obsession… _rubbish_ is ridiculous! If purebloods keep killing of the muggleborns and blood traitors and halfbloods, there'll be no one bloody left! Where would the wizarding population be in a few generations? Inbred and eventually extinct. The Dark Lord has no fore-sight, only hatred." He paused and rested his head back against the cabinet with his longs legs crossed at the ankles in front of him. Hermione sat in shock; did Draco Malfoy just say that blood status didn't matter? Surely not. He was surely going keep talking and have some other point. She had just misunderstood.

He began again in an unsteady voice, "I think about where I was, mentally, a year ago, Hell, even a few months ago. Such a prat. Hermione, your magic is every bit as good as mine, probably better because you're so bloody brilliant!" Her eyebrows shot up, he'd called her by her first name. For the first time in seven years, he'd addressed her by her first name and then complimented her. He turned to look at her as though wanting to know her opinion on his thoughts, his eyes dark and melancholy.

"Have you taken Polyjuice potion? Who are you, really?" She asked, in a feeble attempt to lighten his mood, but sort of wondering if it weren't the truth at the same time.

He let out a small laugh, "no, Granger, it's me. Let's see… how to prove it's really me… here we are: second year I called you a mudblood and Weasel-bee tried to curse me to restore your honor and ended up tossing up slugs for the rest of the day. How's that, do you believe it's me now?" He asked in a tone that she couldn't quite decipher.

"Yes, I believe it's you," she said quietly.

"I know it's been years since then and I know I've done it many times since…. But would you believe me if I told you that I'm sorry for the way I've always treated you?" He looked at her and she was moved … he actually looked genuine and… sad.

"What's made you change?" She asked, after all, this was Malfoy she was dealing with. She didn't trust him yet. Although, she'd been with him for nearly a week and hadn't insulted her a single time.

"You… wouldn't believe the things I've done. The things he's made me do. To punish my parents for their mistakes he's …. Used me to exercise his power. Used me to…. to torture people. If I don't do it or if I hesitate he says I'm not a proper Death Eater and insinuates that maybe I'm thinking about joining forces with Potter. If I don't cooperate fully and give my full allegiance to him he'll kill me and my parents. I've got no choice. He's here, or Bellatrix or my father, all the damn time; I can't get away from him… even at Hogwarts. He's got Death Eaters there who keep an eye on me. I just want… I want to stop seeing cruelty every fucking time I turn around." The bathroom was silent now, except for the soft sounds of their breathing.

His words shocked her. He was essentially baring his soul, and his feelings were something she had thought him incapable of. Had she misjudged him? His hands were fisted in his lap and his eyes were tightly closed. She felt… pity for him. A mudblood pity a Malfoy? Unheard of. But, he seemed so sincere. What did he have to gain by telling her this? Nothing she could think of. Regardless of his motives and intentions, he moved her. She slowly reached out a hand and gently placed in on his shoulder, sure that he would shake it off instantly, not wanting to be touched by the likes of her. Maybe this was a test; if he shook her off she knew that this was all talk. She was still a mudblood in his eyes and that's all she'd ever be. To her shock he did not shake her hand off. She laid it softly on his shoulder and after a moment moved her thumb in comforting circles. She had no idea what to say to him. They sat in silence, each thinking of what he'd said. He slowly turned to look at her, patted her hand and placed it back on the rim of the tub.

"Go on and finish your bath in peace, I've left you another t shirt and pants that I shrank for you before I gave mother's wand back." He got up and walked into the bedroom without looking back at her. She sat for a moment, thoroughly disconcerted. She felt a bit vulnerable in the tub and decided she was done with the bath. She opened the drain with her toes, sitting in the tub while the water drained. What had just happened? This was a Draco Malfoy that she was entirely unprepared for. The Draco she had known was full of sneers and boasts and insults. This one was full of… feeling and remorse and the desire for something better. Seeing the side of Malfoy where his confidence was low was almost frightening. She was shaken. She was at his mercy, he could turn her over to You Know Who in a heartbeat and she felt like she had no idea who he was. Everything she knew about him changed completely over the last week. She was exhausted. She gingerly got up out of the tub, dried off and dressed in Draco's clothes, almost wishing that he'd be out of the room when she came out. What did you say to someone you thought you knew for seven years who suddenly turns out the opposite of what you'd thought?


	5. A Little Fall of Rain

I don't feel any pain  
A little fall of rain  
Can hardly hurt me now

That's all I need to know  
And you will keep me safe  
And you will keep me close

Draco paced the bedroom, his thoughts a jumbled mess. He'd just sat in the floor of his own bathroom and spilled his guts to a naked Hermione Granger. He'd even called her by her first name. Which felt a little odd… but nice. For some reason it seemed like it meant more, like he'd broken down some barrier between them by using her first name. His shoulder was still warm where her hand had set for those few minutes. It shocked him to think that that was the most comfort and compassion he'd been shown since he was a small child, but to her it probably meant nothing. He found himself wishing she'd hurry and get out of the bath so that he could talk to her more. To hear opinions that weren't malicious and vile. He liked the routine they'd unintentionally adopted: they hid out in his library and read quietly or made pleasant conversation, took their meals together… they'd somehow even become comfortable enough with each other to fall asleep in the other's presence. He'd go wait in the study. He didn't want to seem like he was standing right outside the bathroom door waiting on her, which, essentially he was. Get a grip Draco! He mentally shook himself, it's just Granger. The same Granger you've known for 7 years. Was she though, he pondered as he walked through the door separating the bedroom and study? _He_ was different, he knew. Maybe that meant that he had to re-learn who she was- without all of his stupid prejudices and angst. Maybe this was his chance. His chance to befriend someone not based on their heritage, but on their qualities. Granted, she was sort of his captive, but whatever. Not _his_ captive, she was just here until he figured out a way to get her safely back to Potter and Weasel. Hm, maybe he'd rather she stayed with him than go back to moronic Weasel-bee. Pureblood or not Weasley drove him bat-shit-crazy.

Hermione peeked through the door out into the empty bedroom. Good, he wasn't here. She didn't know how she felt about their conversation or how she felt about the fact that's she'd tried to comfort him. The captive comforting the captor? Was he her captor? She didn't even know. The same thoughts she'd had all week circled in her head again: If she tried to escape, would he stop her? Was it worth the risk without her wand? What had happened to it, maybe Harry and Ron had it, or maybe it was still at the Manor? Would he give it back? Maybe he really had changed, maybe he deserved some comfort… she tiptoed into the study and was taken aback to see Malfoy in one of the arm chairs with a book in his lap, reading. She thought that he would avoid her after the scene in the bathroom… He'd lit the fire and seemed utterly relaxed. He was still barefooted and that made her slightly uncomfortable again… which was silly- he'd just seen her in the bath. He did have nice feet though, with high arches.

He looked up as she entered and she sent him a tiny smile. She sat her folded dirty clothes next to the couch and sat down carefully, still slightly sore. He looked up from his book and eyed her. She was wearing the pair of cotton pants and a t-shirt that he'd left out for her. She thought she saw a shadow of his smirk cross his face.

"Feel free to pick out a book, Granger. There are plenty and there's not much else to do since you can't leave the room." She glanced toward the bookshelves, but didn't have the energy to get up to peruse them, despite how they called to her.

"I think I'm too tired to concentrate on anything. What are you reading?" She wondered aloud.

He gave a soft chuckle, "The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood" he told her, showing her the cover.

"Oh really?" She smiled. She settled back onto the sofa lying on her side, facing him and the fire. "I haven't read it, but I've seen a few muggle movies about him." She smiled, she loved the cartoon one with the fox… her eyes drifted shut.

"Yeah, I've heard about them," he answered. "This is pretty different though," he chuckled again, "he dies at the end. Murdered, actually. By a nun." He watched as her eyes flew open.

"What?! Oh, all my childhood dreams are shattered!" She said in mock devastation. Actually that _was_ pretty sad. She hated when the movie differed from the books so much. "Wait, what do _you_ know about movies?" she asked… surely his parents didn't have any muggle forms of anything in the manor.

"Oh, Blaise and I used get bored and go to the muggle movie theater near his mum's place during the summer, my father'd kill me if he found out I did anything like that... On Thursdays they showed older movies. I think we saw some Robin Hood movie once." He went back to reading.

She watched him for a few minutes and then her mind drifted, surprisingly comfortable in his presence, the sofa was so soft… the fire was warm and soothing, the sound of the rain on the glass made her sleepy and somehow, she knew he was keeping an eye on her. Somehow, feeling safe and content hidden away in Malfoy Manor, Hermione fell asleep.

Draco laid his book down and watched her sleep. She looked… frail. Even though she'd started putting a little weight back on her face was still pale and thin, her cheekbones much more prominent than the last time he'd seen her at school. While he watched she shivered and curled up a little bit. Was she cold? He realized that he was toasty warm in his seat by the fire, but she was further away and her hair was still wet from her bath since she had no wand to do a drying spell on it. He stood and unfolded the blanket on the back of the sofa and spread it over her, remembering when she'd done the same for him the second night she was here. He sat back down in his arm chair and propped his feet in the one across from him. He went back to his book but the words soon slid out of focus. He was very comfortable in the quiet and in the warmth of the fire. Maybe he'd have a nap as well.

Hermione woke with a start, sensing someone moving near her. She jerked awake and looked frantically around until she spotted Malfoy settling into his chair with a lunch tray on the table between them.

"Are you hungry, Granger?" He asked conversationally, smirking slightly at the way she'd jumped awake.

"Mm, yes please." She replied, sitting up quickly looking happily at the tray of bread, cheeses, fruit and a baked chicken. She watched as Draco divided the food into equal portions and slid hers toward her.

"Thank you" she said easily, still slightly surprised that he was serving her even though this had become their mealtime routine, and picked up a piece of bread and started munching. They ate in silence for a little while, neither really having anything to say. Hermione began to slow down as her brain kicked in. Would the house elves say anything to the Malfoys about Draco requesting food enough for two? He said he'd forbidden them but his parents were their masters as well. How did the magic work if his parents asked the elves a direct question about it? That was worrisome, but the chances of his parents asking about his eating habits seemed slim. But immediately she saw a bigger problem, she was shocked that she hadn't thought about this before. He'd said You Know Who was frequently at the Manor…

"Malfoy, isn't You Know Who an excellent Legilimens?" He nodded, one eye brow raised, apparently wondering why she asked. "What if he sees me in your mind? Won't he… kill us both?"

"Yeah, he probably would. But I've become quite accomplished at Occlumency. I'm able to keep my thoughts from him. After all he hasn't noticed that my feelings have turned against the war, has he?" He watched Hermione closely; he could all but see the wheels turning in her mind.

"Well, what if they discover me here? I've never been taught Occlumency, they'd know in an instant that you've hidden me from them and that you've been treating me well." She wondered how they'd get out of that one alive.

"Hm. You bring up a good point, Granger." He was silent a moment. "I could teach you."

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that." At first thought she was all for it, she loved learning, especially something that could keep her safe from You Know Who. But then she remembered Harry telling her about getting inside Snape's memories and Snape getting inside his. It was likely Draco would be able to penetrate her mind and find out about their plans and the horcruxes: it could be a disaster. She didn't trust him enough for that. Maybe his feelings toward the war had changed but he was still Malfoy, greedy and selfish. That information would be invaluable to You Know Who and Malfoy and his family would surely be rewarded and be safe if they brought that information to him.

"I'm, I, uh, I don't think I want to do that," she said in a rush. But, if he knew Legilimency he could choose to find that information no matter what.

"Why not? It could save your life, my life too, if they find you here." He looked at her, confused, but then it dawned on him. "Ah, I see. You don't trust me. Well, I don't suppose I blame you." He paused and studied her a moment. "As brilliant as your mind is, I think you could get the basics down fairly easily though, it wouldn't keep the Dark Lord out indefinitely, but it could buy you time." She nodded absently. She'd love to learn Occlumency, obviously. But the risk was too high. Maybe he had a book and she could learn the theory… but there was no way to practice, no one she could trust her thoughts with.

"You know, Granger, you can always take the memories you don't want me to see out of your head." Her head shot up and she met his gaze. Oh! Of course! "I wouldn't be comfortable using my father's Pensieve, but you could keep them in a jar while we practiced."

"That's a wonderful idea! Can we start this afternoon? Is there a book I could read about it?" She asked in a single breath.

"Slow down, Granger," he laughed. "Yes we can start today but no, I don't believe we have a book on it." She nodded her disappointment and they continued their meal in silence for a few moments.

"Malfoy, do you by chance know what happened to my wand?" She asked tentatively, unsure whether or not he'd tell her.

"I don't actually. I hadn't thought about it. I've been so annoyed about Potter taking mine I hadn't given yours a single thought. I'll check into it after lunch though." He replied easily. She wondered if he'd give it back to her if he discovered it was still here. Would she be able to escape once she had it back? What sort of security was around the manor?

"You realize that this place has been in the Malfoy family for generations. There are curses and security spells around it that are hundreds of years old. You can't just climb out a window and run away from Malfoy Manor." He looked at her, apparently her thoughts were written clearly on her face, much to her dismay. "I've been thinking about it, and I think the only way we'll be able to get you out of here is for me to take you by Side-Along-Apparition. I can Apparate in or out of here because I'm a Malfoy, Potter and Weasel-bee were lucky, the anti-Apparition wards were only down because the Dark Lord had just broken through them when he Apparated onto the property." Hermione's eyes widened, they had all been a second away from death. Draco continued, "All the fireplaces are monitored, so if you tried to Floo they'd know who you were and where you went. We could also go by broom... have to be at night though and on the same broom, again because I'm a Malfoy and I can get through the boundaries, that might be better actually… they'd be expecting Apparition, not for anyone traveling by broom. The biggest issue I can think of, aside from both of us being potentially wandless is this: where would we go? Honestly, I have no desire to go back to Hogwarts and have Snape breathing down my neck and you can't go back there either. Not with him as headmaster and Death Eaters on the payroll. The Room of Hidden Things is being used by someone as a hideout; I haven't been able to get in in months. I don't know who it is, so that's out of the question.

"Where would _we_ go? Are you going to come with me then?" She asked, shocked. "Why?"

"Haven't you heard what I've been telling you? I'm tired of this war, but mostly I'm tired of being on the wrong side of it! I'm tired of him making me commit some of the atrocities that he loves so much. I want to…. I dunno, balance the scales or something." He ended in a mutter.

"You do realize that I haven't just been on the run with Harry all this time, don't you?" She was always careful not to say Ron's name, she didn't want to trigger the Deluminator and have the two of them show up in the middle of the manor, which would be a disaster. He looked at her sharply as she continued, "you realize that if I get out of here, I'm going to do whatever I can to continue what I was working on?"

"Yeah. I figured you lot were up to something." He answered, wondering what three teenagers alone in the woods could possibly do that could make any difference in this war.

"So if you come with me… are you going to try to stop me accomplishing anything?" She asked. As soon as these words were out of her mouth she was kicking herself. Why did she just tell Draco Malfoy that she was actively working against You Know Who? After everything he'd said, she still didn't think he'd be happy about that.

"No, I won't try to stop… whatever it is you're doing." He took a deep breath, as though preparing for something, his eyes on his plate. "I think…. I think that I may want to help you do it."

"Are you telling me that you want to aid Harry Potter in defeating You Know Who?" She asked incredulously. There was no way a Malfoy would turn to the good side.

He looked back up to her, "I'm not sure yet. I'm telling you that I won't stop you from trying to do your… mission or whatever. And joining you? I don't know, Granger. He'd execute my parents on the spot. And myself, obviously. My father deserves it, but my mother… she hides it well, but I think she's hated this for a long time. I don't know if I can do something that could get her killed." Hermione was taken aback. Malfoy was actually considering helping her, Harry, and Ron defeat You Know Who? That was extremely had to believe. By all appearances, he was telling the truth. She decided to be wary of him. Just in case.

"So how did you get your parents out-of-the-way, Granger? I heard them complaining a while back that they looked for them to try and get information, but couldn't find them." Malfoy asked, he appeared eager to change the subject away from himself.

She closed her eyes a moment, missing them and worrying about them was so hard. "I modified their memories. I gave them new identities, they moved away and… they don't know they have a daughter." All these months later it still made her throat ache and her eyes water to think that her parents didn't even know she existed, that they'd never miss her if she never came for them. She glanced up at Malfoy and his face betrayed his shock.

"Wow, Granger." He seemed at a loss for words. "I'm not going to ask for any details, I'm not going to give your parents up either. That has to be rough." After a few silent minutes he put his napkin down and stood up. "Well, I'm going to go see if your wand is here or if there are any extra wands from the snatchers… that he killed. What's your wand like?"

"Vine wood, ten and three quarter inches, oh I hope it's here. I feel naked without it." She blushed a bit, and then bit her lip. "Malfoy, if it's here…. Are you going to give it back?"

"Of course I am. I know you aren't going to use it against me, I saved your life. And I know that you're smart enough to not make some nutty escape attempt without my help or try to fight your way out because you don 't know who's here and you can't send for anyone to rescue you because you don't know what you'd be bringing them into." He waited for a response, but she just nodded. "Am I right in trusting you to not do those things?" Again she nodded. "Good I thought so. But if you're tempted, remember that I will stop you, and I know a lot more curses than you do, Granger." With that parting comment he left the room.

Hermione passed the afternoon pleasantly enough. She was sprawled on the sofa reading off and on. Right now she was pondering where she, or _they_ if he actually came with her, could go if she escaped the manor. Grimmauld Place was out; the ministry/Death Eaters could get in there. The tent was abandoned where they had camped when the snatchers had caught them. Harry had picked that spot and she didn't know how to get back there. Maybe the Malfoys had a tent… they didn't look like the type to camp though. She'd have to ask. Should she try to find Harry and Ron once they got away? He could use the Deluminator again. She pondered the risks for a few moments. Anyone who was near them would hear her voice and see the ball of light… if they were captured whoever wanted to could get the ball of light and come to her. She could wind up bringing a Death Eater instead of Ron and Harry. On the other hand, she would know immediately if The Boy Who Lived had been captured, it would be a huge victory for Voldemort. It would be on the front page of the Prophet. Ron though, maybe not… she could imagine them holding Ron captive as bait for Harry. She'd been working on her Patronus prior to their capture, and she was fairly confident that she could cast the charm in such a way the only the intended recipient could hear what it said. That should be safe, you can't track a Patronus and very few people knew what form hers took, Harry's was the famous one. If her wand was here, she could send one right now! That would be amazing, they had to be incredibly worried about her. When she got out of the manor, she could send her Patronus to Harry and Ron and if she got a response they could use the Deluminator. Yes. That could work. She'd have to think of something to ask him that a Death Eater wouldn't know in case he was under duress he could send back the incorrect answer and she would cease communications.

Malfoy came back some hours later to find her right where he'd left her, lying on the couch. She looked up when he entered, his smirk was back full force.

"How much do you love me, Granger?"

"Um, not much at all. Why?" Her laugh turned into a gasp as his hand came from behind his back and he waved her wand at her. "No way!" She shouted, springing up off the couch.

"Your wand m'lady" he bowed and made a show of handing it back. She took it out of his hands with a smile and her eyebrows somewhere near her hairline. Who knew Malfoy was funny?

"I'm not gonna lie, Malfoy: I didn't think you'd give it back to me." She felt her hand warm and the want vibrate softly in her grasp, oh it felt so good to have it back. Being without it was like missing one of her hands. She swished it through the air and made a vase of her favorite flowers appear. She grinned at the daisies and looked up at Malfoy. "Thank you, really."

"Why didn't you think I'd give it back?" His smile had become a bit strained, and she could see his jaw muscles working. His irritation surprised her. Did he just expect her to blindly trust him? Apparently.

"Well, because you've been a slimy git for the last seven years. And because I'm sort of held here against my will." She admitted honestly.

"Held against your will? Go then, woman! Walk right out that door into the hallway, take a left and the front door is down on your right. Fare thee well, Granger." He said, seeming slightly affronted.

"Well, _you're_ not keeping me here against my will, but I was definitely brought here under those circumstances, you have to admit. And the slimy git part. You've been a right prat to me from day one." She held her ground and watched as he winced slightly. He toyed with another wand in his hands, his eyes downcast. They were on the topics they'd been avoiding for the last week.

"I reckon you're right. Granger," he stuttered out, her eyes widened, "I really… I finally see what my father did to me. He nearly ruined me. But I've grown up a lot the past couple of years and yes, I was a prat, but I've finally seen through his ways and I know that it's rubbish. I'm sorry that I've treated you so poorly for so long." He sat across from her on the coffee table and took one of her hands in his. "I took pleasure in tormenting you, and insulting you, and humiliating you. For no reason other than who your parents are. Well look who my bloody parents are! My father is scum. I am no better than you, far worse in reality. I've never seen you do anything malicious to anyone who didn't have it coming. You didn't deserve to be treated that way and I'm sorry. I am truly sorry." He lowered his head to rest it on their joined hands. She sat in shock a moment, staring down at his silky blond hair. She realized something that rattled her nerves. She believed him.

"What can I do to make you understand and trust that I'm sincere?" he continued, obviously unaware of her inner thoughts.

"Pinky swear." She blurted out with a small smile. It was the first thing that popped into her mind. He lifted his head to look at her and she offered her right pinky to him. His eyes widened and she saw him mouth 'pinky swear' to himself. Her smile was in danger of turning into a grin. Somehow in the middle this mess, she was dangerously close to becoming friends and allies with Draco Malfoy. The fact that she had said the words 'pinky swear' to him and had not received a sneer in response was a good indicator.

"That's a girl thing," he said in protest. She didn't drop her hand but raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Oh fine! I pinky swear!" He hooked his pinky with hers and leaned down to kiss his thumb; she copied the motion and kissed hers.

"There. Now I believe you." She said matter-of-factly, but then her tone grew more serious. "You know… Draco… you can't help who your parents are or the way you were raised all you can do is decide what's right for yourself and live your life the way you think is best." She wondered if she were skating on thin ice by making this observation. He'd been remarkably open with her today, not at all the Draco she was used to… she wondered if he'd close down if she got too personal. He didn't respond immediately. He dropped her hand and rubbed both of his over his face.

"Thank you for saying that, Granger. You're right. What's done is done, all I can do is move forward and… what's that quote? 'Be the change you want to see in the world?' Eh, it was something sappy like that." He got up and sat down on the other end of the sofa from her looking again at his hands. "Oh yeah! I found a wand! Not sure whose it was, but it's better than nothing, yeah? He pointed his wand at her orange daisies and turned them pink. He smirked at her looking very pleased with himself. "Go ahead and send a Patronus to Potter, I know that's all you can think about. Make sure you tell him not to come for you; there are Death Eaters on patrol, not to mention curses I don't even know about on the boundaries of the properties. Tell him we're still figuring a way to get out of here safely."

She grinned at him because she _had_ been thinking about sending Harry a Patronus. Hopefully she'd get one in return. She concentrated on the message she wanted to relay and practiced the charm that would make it so that only Harry or Ron would hear its message. She sent it with a silent wave of her wand, hearing its echo in her mind as a wisp of silver vapor left the wand's tip.

_"Harry, Ron, I'm okay. Still at Malfoy Manor- Draco has hidden me safely until we can think of a way to get me out unnoticed. Do not come for me, defenses are too strong. I am in no immediate danger; do not risk coming back. Send word that you're okay. Love, Hermione."_

"Okay, I've done it. Hopefully they'll be able to let me know they're alright. What time is it? I feel like all I've done is eat and sleep today." She said brightly, having her wand back and making Draco make a pinky promise had lightened her mood considerably.

"That's not true, you've read some too. So not a complete loss. Haha, it's about half-five. Are you hungry again?" he chuckled at her, he also seemed more light-hearted than she'd ever seen him.

"Not really, but I know I should eat… I could still see all my bones when I looked in the mirror after I got out of the bath." Her mood fell a bit remembering. She'd been reminded of the Holocaust victims when she'd look at herself, especially that first day. She really wasn't nearly that emaciated, but it shocked her to see a body that she didn't recognize.

"Well, we can give it a little while and maybe you'll get hungry." He reached to pick up his book but nearly dropped it when Hermione uttered a very dramatic gasp.

She'd been looking at Draco when she saw a gleam of silver out of the corner of her eye, she looked to her right and saw Harry's stag Patronus and she gasped out loud with surprise and relief as she heard Harry's voice in her head.

_"Thank God, Hermione! We're both fine, so glad to hear you are as well. We're in a safe place. Don't trust Malfoy. Send word when we can get you out. Send a Patronus every night, if you miss a day we're coming for you. Ron says hello."_

"What?!" Draco demanded, "what is it?"

"Oh," she focused back on reality and all she could see was Draco's broad back, he was standing in front of her, wand at the ready, facing the direction she'd turned when she gasped. She realized he thought she'd seen some danger. Wow, he'd actually stood in front of her… he'd automatically moved to protect her. She was reassured in her earlier judgment to believe him. "Harry sent a Patronus, he must've charmed it so that only I could see or hear it. I did the same thing when I sent mine to him. Everthing's okay." She answered, calming him down. His face had been very alarmed. "Did you just jump in front of me when you thought there was danger?" she smirked as he flushed. "How very un-Slytherin of you, Malfoy." He glared at her and she laughed out loud. Apparently he decided not to comment on her teasing.

He pocketed the wand and settled himself back against the arm of the couch facing her, his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. There was plenty of room, even with her legs out in front of her; this sofa was larger than her bed at home. "Well I'll certainly sleep better tonight knowing that Weasel-bee is safe and sound." She rolled her eyes at him but smiled, sort of happy to see the smirk back on his face. This was closer to the Malfoy that she was used to. "So, Granger, what do you want to do til supper time?" He looked at her politely, she was taken aback… did he really care what she wanted to do?

"Oh, um. I don't know, what do you want to do?" This was his house after all, honestly she'd be fine taking another nap… the whole torture/captivity thing really takes it out of you.

"How about this. You feed me peeled grapes and fan me with a palm frond?" He suggested with a grin.

She laughed out loud, "I don't think so, your highness, next suggestion." A joking Malfoy? Another side of him she'd never seen.

"Oh I don't know. I'm kind of enjoying being holed up in here being lazy to tell you the truth. For some reason being here with you makes me forget how damn miserable my life is right now." He sent a sad smile her way. "Shall we each go back to our books then?"

"Yes, that would be lovely." They each picked up their books and fell into a companionable silence with the only sound the crackling fire and the soft turning of pages.


	6. I Saw Him Once

We were like dreamers at night  
Who meet as in a trance, then part again!  
Two phantoms in the shadows of the moon  
Can people really fall in love so soon?

Hermione woke sometime later still on the couch, apparently having worked her way down the cushions until she was not leaning on the arm anymore, but laying flat on the seat cushions. As she came to she also realized that she'd rolled to her side and had her right leg and arm thrown over something warm. She opened her eyes and saw a pair of large bare feet immediately in front of her face. Good god, she was sleeping half on top of Malfoy's legs! She looked up quickly to see him peeking over his book at her with a pronounced smirk.

"Enjoy your nap, Granger?" He asked, barely suppressing a laugh. He didn't seem annoyed though. Old Malfoy would've thrown her in the floor for touching him. More proof that he wasn't the same boy he'd always been. Maybe this was the man Malfoy.

"Erm, I'm sorry… that's kind of awkward." She rolled off of him and sat up, her face blushing furiously. His smirk turned into a full laugh and she blushed even harder.

"Not at all. I had quite the view of your lovely backside." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and she decided not to take offense. She playfully punched him in the arm and stole his book and threw it behind her onto the cushion.

"Where's my supper? I'm starving." He laughed and got up to call Trixie.

After they'd loaded their plates with American style steak and sweet potatoes and poured 2 glasses of a sweet red wine Malfoy spoke "So, shall we scheme and plot as we eat or would you like to wait until after?" her fork paused on the way to her mouth.

"Scheme and plot? How to get me out you mean?" She asked.

"Well, how to get US out. I'm going with you, Granger." She lowered her fork back to her plate and thought for a moment. She did feel like she could trust him… she didn't have to decide immediately whether or not to let him come. For discussion purposes she'd agree with him for now.

"Okay, let's plan while we eat and then we can practice Occlumency. We forgot to start that you know." They discussed the pros and cons of several different plans and locations, ruling out all Malfoy holdings, her parent's house, Hogsmeade, and finally came to the same conclusion that she, Harry, and Ron had come to. They'd have to camp.

"We've got a tent that we used at the World Cup. I'll have Trixie find it for me after dinner. I think we should keep it and some provisions in your wonderful little bag at all times. Just in case we need to make a run for it. I'll bring my broom up tomorrow." She agreed. As he drained the last of his wine and pushed his plate back he looked up at her, "Well, on to Occlumency, then?" She nodded eagerly. She conjured a small flask and put her wand to her temple. She pulled into her mind the memories of Harry telling her about the horcruxes, their thoughts and ideas about where they were and what they might be, her memories of the locket and its destruction, any and everything she could think of that had to do with Harry and Voldemort went into the flask. It was quite full by the time she finished. It did not escape her notice that Draco did not remove any memories from his mind.

"Surely you have things you'd like to make sure I didn't learn… I might actually be successful in blocking you. When Harry was learning from Snape he accidentally got into Snape's mind." she said to him, wondering why he hadn't done the same she did.

"Not really. I'm not hiding anything from you, Granger. I want you to realize that you can trust me." She looked him in the eye for a moment, but he never looked away. Somewhat guiltily, she looked to the full flask in her hand.

"These… they aren't my secrets to share." She looked back up to him, an apology in her eyes, but he waved it away.

"Shall we begin then?" He stood and moved to stand in front of her, close enough to reach out and touch. "Right, I am going to attempt to break into your mind. You are going to try to stop me. Clear your mind, wipe it clean. Give me nothing to see. Picture a blank white wall or an empty field. Ready?"

No, not in the least, she thought to herself. But she closed her eyes a moment and tried to imagine the empty field, endless green grass, cloudless sky. She nodded. Draco leaned closer and looked directly into her eyes, she saw his darken and her breath caught as she watched her own memories flash past her vision. She saw him laying shirtless in his sleep and felt again the attraction that pulled her towards his bed, she watched him healing her the first morning she was here… faster and faster memories flew she caught glimpses of Bellatrix torturing her, Harry laughing with Ginny, Ron playing Quidditch. Suddenly she realized that Malfoy was watching this film as well. _Oh no you don't_ she thought. She concentrated as hard as she could on his face, looking through the visions and bringing his features into focus. She focused on seeing only his eyes, willing them to be the only thing in her mind. Their glacier blue color, surrounded by thick dark blond lashes. His pupils were dilated with the magic he was using against her. After a moment she could barely see anything but his eyes, the memories growing more faint and his brow furrowed in concentration, trying to keep the connection. She knew she had him then, with one final push, he was out of her mind and they stood breathless less than a foot apart now, having moved unconsciously closer during the time he'd been in her mind. She kept her eyes on his, feeling light-headed. His pupils returned to their normal size now and his face slightly flushed. She was somewhat disconcerted at how close he was… her gaze dropped to his mouth without her consent. She saw it twist into a smirk and she looked back up into his eyes, they were amused.

"Oh, thanks for covering me up the other night, Granger. I was quite cold." She didn't reply… was he saying that he'd seen that in her mind or that he remembered it for himself? She narrowed her eyes at him. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Yes, I was awake." He leapt back to dodge her hand as she reached to swat at him.

"Draco Malfoy! Why did you pretend to be asleep?!" She leapt after him and attempted to swat at him again to cover her mortification. He dodged her again and laughed.

"Cause I wanted to see what you were going to do!"

"Oh, I'm so embarrassed. I don't know why I didn't just go back to go to sleep!" He grabbed her hands to stop her incessant swatting and still laughing, held them to his chest trying to keep her still. Her hair was shielding her face, but he could see that her scalp through the part in her hair was crimson.

"Don't be embarrassed, Ganger. I thought it was sweet. I was cold and you covered me up, no reason to be embarrassed about that." He was still chuckling at her discomfort. She stopped struggling and looked up at him. She was absolutely mortified that he'd been awake the whole time she'd stood there and stared at him. She looked up into his face to see yet another side of him that she hadn't seen before. A grin that reached his eyes and made him look like a mischievous little boy. This was happy Malfoy. She couldn't help but grin back at him. She realized that he was still holding her hand to his chest and felt a slight sizzle as she remembered staring at him in the dark. She knew that he'd felt her attraction when he'd watched her memory. He knew she was attracted to him. She wondered what he thought about it. She nervously licked her lips and she saw his eyes dart down to watch… another sizzle. Her eyes went to his mouth and she wondered what it would be like to kiss Draco Malfoy. Without thought, her hands spread out over his chest almost at the same moment that he took a step closer to her. Their gazes locked and her lips parted as she saw his eyes were dark again, not with magic this time but something else. He slowly lowered his head, his eyes never leaving hers: there was no mistaking his intentions and her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips to hers. It was tender and sweet. Her lips curved into a smile. The light hearted moment wasn't lost but heightened by the kiss. He released her hands and without thinking she ran them up his chest and to his shoulders, clinging to him. One if his traveled down to her lower back, the other fisted in her hair. She parted her lips and he deepened the kiss with a small groan. She gasped and rose to her tiptoes to get as close as possible. Her mind was spinning. She had only ever kissed Viktor Krum and ugh, Cormac McLaggen, and those had been nothing compared to this. She'd also secretly kissed Seamus Finnegan once and while Cormac had been disgusting, Seamus and Viktor's kisses had been nice. This kiss was not nice. This kiss was… she kicked herself. _Turn off your damn brain for two bloody minutes and enjoy this! _ And so she did… the feel of his tongue against hers, the scrape of his teeth as he gently nipped at her bottom lip… They broke apart after a few moments, each gasping for breath. He held her at arm's length, eyeing her warily. She clung to his arms trying to keep her knees from buckling. She couldn't help but enjoy the feel of his biceps…

"Damn, Granger. What _was_ that?" He asked, pulling her a bit closer now that he had regained his senses.

"The best kiss of my life, I'm pretty sure." The words were out of her mouth before she thought about it and she rolled her eyes at his immediate grin.

"Damn right it was. I've just ruined you for all other men. And potentially women as well." He added cockily. She couldn't help but laugh as she backed out of his grasp.

"Be that as it may, we can't do that again. We've got too much to worry about without adding… distractions like that." She moved around to the other side of the couch to put some space between them before she forgot her own words and jumped back into his arms… her lips were still tingling.

He sighed. "If you insist, Granger. I know you'll be thinking about it. A lot." He winked at her. And here was flirty Malfoy. How could she have thought him so one dimensional? There was so much more to him than a snotty Death Eater brat. Her eyes traveled down his lanky frame, remembering the muscles beneath his clothes… a lot more to him. She tore her gaze away when she heard his satisfied chuckle. He leaned towards her and whispered conspiratorially, "I'll be thinking of it, too."

She cleared her throat. "So, Occlumency. I assume you saw everything I saw?" She was desperate to get back to business before she climbed over the sofa and snogged that self-satisfied smirk right off his handsome face. His grin remained, but he came around the back of the sofa and sat down near her.

"Yup, sure did. You blocked me really quickly though, I was surprised. I knew you'd pick it up fast, but that was very impressive for a first time." He patted the cushion next to him and winked again. She was still standing near the fireplace. She rolled her eyes and sat on the sofa, a bit further away than he had intended, perhaps, but she sat nonetheless.

"Should we try again? I want to be good at this." She was always happy to have a new skill.

"Sure. Now or do you want a minute?" she looked at him, sprawled back against the sofa with that grin, his face still slightly flushed from their kiss. He looked delicious. His grin widened as though he could read her thoughts… she couldn't feel him pressing into her mind though.

"Um, a moment please." He nodded and she turned away, closed her eyes and pressed her fingertips to her temples. She breathed deeply for a few moments, the meadow thing hadn't worked before so she tried a blank blackboard. She saw the chalk in the tray, but the board was blank. She rolled her neck, keeping the blank chalkboard in mind. "Okay, I'm ready now." They stood again; this time when he looked down at her and his eyes darkened all she saw was that blackboard. His lips turned down at the corners as he concentrated and pushed harder. Suddenly he grinned and she watched herself wrapped in Malfoy's arms, his lips pressed feverishly against hers. She gasped as she relived the memory, felt the heat from it and the heat from the attraction she felt in the present. All thoughts of the blackboard forgotten, they launched themselves at each other. Their eyes stayed open and locked for a moment under his spell and he read back everything she was feeling. Feeling her arousal combined with his own proved too much, he shut his eyes with a groan, breaking the connection of their minds and yanked her to him, lifting her off her feet. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and her legs around his waist. She'd never felt anything like this before, it was amazing. He stumbled back into the couch and sat down. His hands gripping her hips and hers in his hair. He trailed kisses across her jaw and down her neck. She tilted her head back to give him better access. He kissed across her collar bones exposed by her v- neck shirt and gave her chills. She was amazed; she had never actually wanted anyone before. She had the reputation of being prim and proper and perhaps an ice queen, but the reality of the situation was simple: there was no one she had ever wanted. His hands slipped underneath her shirt and ran up her back, oh dear. This was going too far, too fast.

"Ugh, wait, wait." She leaned away from him. He groaned and dropped his forehead to her breastbone. She listened to his ragged breathing and felt a little smug. Hers was just as rapid but it was nice to know that he was affected the same way. "I'm sorry; it's too much, too fast." She ran her hand down the back of his head, smoothing the hair that she'd mussed. She loved his hair, it was so soft. He sighed and lifted his head, pecked her quickly on the lips and threw himself dramatically back onto the sofa, his hands resting on her thighs.

"I believe you're trying to kill me, woman." He said, his eyes closed and his head leaned back. She smiled down at him. Leaned down, gave him a quick peck in return and climbed off his lap to flop back against the cushions.

"Okay, seriously Malfoy. We can't do this. I know I'm irresistible, but you're going to have to behave yourself." She turned her head to meet his glare and winked at him. Two can play this game, sir. His glare broke into a surprised grin.

"For the record, while you are very tempting and delectable, I am the one who's irresistible." She couldn't help but laugh with him. He turned to look at her. "Can you believe that just happened? Would you have ever thought in a million years that you'd have snogged a Malfoy?"

She angled towards him and noticed his eyes had gone a bit sad. "No. I wouldn't have ever thought it. Did you ever imagine you'd snog a mudblood?" He grimaced.

"Actually, I _have_ imagined snogging you, and more." He burst into laughter as her mouth fell open. "Did I ever think it would happen? No way." The laughter was gone now. "When I was younger I hated you. I hated you for who your parents are, for how you beat me in all our classes." He slowly reached for her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. "Now that I'm older and have had my eyes opened, I don't understand how I was able to hate you. You… God this sounds lame, but you make me want to be a better person. I've laughed more here tonight with you than I have in the last year. Thank you for that." She sat quietly, absorbing what he'd said. She looked down at their intertwined fingers and felt a lump form in the back of her throat. He'd had such a hard life. She tried for a moment to imagine having a father like Lucius Malfoy instead of the amazing, loving father that she did have. She just couldn't. She scooted over to him, took his face in her hands and kissed him with all the tenderness she could muster. She broke the kiss and rested her forehead on his.

"I'm not sure what's going on between us, but I know that if I live through this thing, I'll never forget it or you." He pecked her on the lips again and settled her against his side.

"I don't know what's going on either, Granger. I… I'm pretty sure that it makes me happy though." He pressed his lips to her hair. Their light hearted banter from the afternoon had evolved into some heavy duty discussion of emotions. They sat quietly for some time staring into the fire, each lost in their own thoughts. "Well, I think I'm going to go to bed… we'll see how everything looks in the morning." He caught her chin and tilted her head up to him and kissed her softly. "Good night."

"Good night," she smiled up at him and watched him walk out of the room. Once he'd gone she got up to fetch the flask containing her memories and returned them to her mind. Then she settled herself back into the couch and lay looking up at the ceiling thinking back over the evening. She'd never been in love… never really had any significant feelings above friendship for anyone. Except maybe Viktor. Were she and Malfoy in lust? Sure felt like it. They may even be in like. This was all a bit overwhelming. She had a really good time with him this afternoon… even before the snogging which was really excellent, she couldn't deny. She'd learned so much about him in the last week. There was so much more to him than she'd thought possible. Maybe she was just as guilty of prejudice as he was. Sighing, she sent a quick "_All's well"_ Patronus to Harry and Ron and settled back to wait for Harry's reply. She yawned and the silver stag soared once again through the window and spoke in Harry's voice _"Here, too. Take care." _Satisfied that her best friends were alright, she fell asleep smiling, thinking of Draco.

The next day dawn dimly and rainy. Hermione lay abed for nearly an hour before hearing Draco stir in his room. She was thinking about him. Would he have changed his mind about her and her situation during the night? She knew that things often looked very different after a night's sleep, would he be disgusted that he'd kissed her come the bright light of day? She hoped not… she would be extremely disappointed if their spur of the moment snogging sent them back to square one. Back to the mudblood and the pureblood? She wasn't sure where she wanted to go from her, in terms of some kind of relationship with him, but she knew she didn't want to go backward. She did not want to lose the progress they'd made towards being friends. She really enjoyed his company. Her fingers trailed absentmindedly across her lower lip, remembering the feeling of Draco's lips there. The kisses had been amazing. She'd never imagined that it could be like that…. Her worries evaporated into daydreams about the man sleeping in the next room.

When Draco woke up and came in bearing a breakfast tray, his friendly, slightly flirty demeanor from the day before hadn't changed. She began to relax a bit as she realized any awkward vibes were coming off of her, not him. They finished breakfast without any allusions to the passionate kisses they'd shard the night before, and settled into their routine of stretching out opposite each other on the couch, reading. She eyed Draco's pajama clad body next to hers. His feet were against the arm that she was leaning on… her hand itched to slide underneath the flannel of his pants and feel the skin of his leg. She didn't really know why, she just wanted to touch him. She turned her eyes back to her book and sighed. She didn't notice that at her sigh he peered at her over the top of his own book, nor could she see the small grin that was hidden behind that book. She started as he shifted so that his feet were pressed against her left arm.

She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and he shrugged, "My feet are cold." She rolled her eyes, but lifted her elbow up over his feet and pulled them up against her side, effectively hugging them.

"Sheesh, they are cold. I can feel it through my shirt. Light the fire, will you? Mine are chilly too now that I think about it." Instead of lighting the fire, he grabbed her crossed ankles and pulled them up against the warmth of his thigh, grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and covered their legs up to their waists. He then picked up his book with his right hand and slid his left under the blanket to rest on top of her bare feet. She stared at him as he went on reading as though nothing had happened. Did this not strike him as… unsettling? _She_ was certainly unsettled. She was _cuddling_ with Draco Malfoy, under a blanket… and she liked it! It was an intimate thing, sharing a blanket with someone! She felt her cheeks heat as his thumb starting sliding up and down the top of her foot. It sent butterflies to her stomach. She reached for her wand as subtly as possible and cast a silent shaving charm on her legs… just in case his hand travelled any higher. Embarrassed at her vanity and because she was pretty sure she _wanted_ his hand to move higher, she resolutely tried to continue reading, but the pages might as well have been blank for all she took in from the story. Maybe being cooped up in this room for so long was driving her daft? It was silly that something as small as his hand on her foot was making her blush and her stomach do somersaults. It was pathetic really, how little experience she had with men. Well, she had zero experience with men, and only limited experience with boys. The furthest she'd been with a boy had been Seamus and she hadn't felt with him what she was feeling now, just from Draco's hand on her foot!


	7. At The Barricade

Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews! They make my day and encourage me to post more frequently. Love them!

PS: Merry Christmas!

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Draco left their sanctuary around midday to speak with his mother. He mostly kept to his rooms when he was at home, but he suspected that she had noticed something was different - he'd barely been out since the night that Bellatrix tortured Hermione. His meandered through the manor to her chambers; she did not share chambers with his father or he'd have just waited to meet her in some common area of the manor. He entered with a soft knock and found her in her private sitting room. He had come in quietly and caught her unawares and was shocked to find her looking drawn and weary, her eyebrows furrowed, tear tracks barely visible on her pale cheeks. Narcissa Malfoy was always put together: true to her pureblood upbringing she never let weakness show through the carefully cultivated façade of composure and grace. He stepped into the room to make his presence known.

"Mother, are you unwell?" He was actually quite concerned, what had upset her?

"Draco, darling, I didn't hear you come in." She stood and he watched her slide the mask back into place.

"You know you don't have to pretend with me, are you alright?" He closed the distance between them and stared hard into her eyes, willing her to open up to him.

"No, dear, I'm quite well, thank you. I was just going to take some tea, would you care for anything?" with a regal sweep of an arm she invited him to take a seat across from the one she'd been sitting in.

"No, mum. Are you sure there isn't anything I can do for you? You have me worried…" He really had never seen her allow any emotion to show, it had to be something big to make that happen. She shook her head and he saw anger flash into her eyes. Anger at his prying or at the cause of her unrest? Was it too much to ask to get some reassurance that his parents' hearts weren't made of stone? For one of them to open up just a tiny bit to let him see that life and emotion lived behind the masks of indifference? He supposed that his father was capable of showing hatred, but other than that….

"No, Draco. Thank you." She closed the topic with a very pointed look. He sighed, but let it go. She cleared her throat and began another topic, "I've had an owl from Severus this week and he tells me that your grades have come up well since last year. You're in the running with a Ravenclaw to graduate first in your class." Well, it was no wonder his grades had been in terrible last year, he'd been afraid for his life the whole bloody time and had been instructed to commit a murder! He laughed internally at the thought of the look on Hermione's face if he told her that he, not she, would be graduating first in their class. Well, ideally, he would not be returning to Hogwarts and would not be completing his seventh year as planned.

"Yes, well, I've kept my head down and avoided everything but my studies for the most part." It was true, he'd lost his position as Slytherin's Prince when he'd failed to kill Dumbledore last spring, very few of his classmates even spoke to him these days. No big loss, he didn't consider any of them friends.

"Your father informed me that the Dark Lord will be arriving this evening. Your presence is expected in the main dining room for dinner." He could barelysee her lips tighten in distaste. He knew she wanted him away from Voldemort at all costs. His stomach tightened in his own distaste, this was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Yes mother." He sat another moment to see if she had anything else to say. After a moment she quietly spoke.

"How are you, Draco?" He could _just_ see traces of concern in her eyes. He gave her a small sardonic smile, even in private she wouldn't come out and speak to him as a mother should. There were no hugs or kisses from Narcissa Malfoy. He wondered if she hadn't married his father if she'd have been the cold, unfeeling woman what she was.

"I'm well, Mother. Of course." They sat in silence for a few more moments and finally Draco stood up to leave. He'd come to check on her as he'd intended, now he could get back to Hermione for a while until he had to go down for dinner.

"I'll see you at dinner Mother," as he passed she shocked him by reaching up and grasping his hand. He looked down at her, surprised.

"Draco… I- I…" She squeezed his hand and took a deep breath. "Be careful tonight…. Your aunt told him that you were unsure about the identities of Potter and the other two that night, he may question you. I… noticed that you… left before the he arrived. I'm grateful you did." She spoke with many hesitations and his stomach dropped further. Had she seen him Disapparate with Hermione? He studied her face. "I know, Draco." She whispered. "I know you saved her." He felt anger and dread surge up his spine, what was she planning on doing about it? "I want you to know that I am so relieved that you found it in your heart to save her despite her being a muggleborn." She stood and grabbed his other hand to hold both of his in hers. She spoke now with urgency and looked him in the eye. "I have long hoped that your father's influence and nature would not make you as cruel as he. You are a good man, Draco, a good son. You did what you believed to be right and it made me so proud." She gave him a tremulous smile and her eyes filled with tears. When she continued, her voice dropped even more so that he could hardly hear. "My son," she touched his cheek, "I want you to run. Your father is bound lose favor with the Dark Lord soon and I worry that you will pay the price. Take the girl with you and use her to get protection from the Order. She'll tell them that you saved her life. She is honorable, and will repay the life debt." He stared back into her flushed face unsure what to say or do. Never in his life had he seen so much emotion or desperation from her. He had always known that somewhere in her heart she loved him, but taking the risk of urging him to run away was something he'd have never expected.

"And what of you, Mother?"

"I… I am not sure. If you can safely get away, I may attempt the same. My sister is a member of the Order. The sister that I have neglected and shunned for twenty years. I may go to her. I may seek the Order's protection if she is willing to forgive me my sins." Draco knew of his aunt Andromeda, but her name was seldom spoken and never spoken well of. He studied his mother for a moment, the earnest look on her face and tears in her eyes. Here was the mother that he'd always wanted. She cared. She cried, she smiled, she loved. What had it taken to convince her to drop the wall and allow him to finally see her? Dread filled his stomach yet again as he recalled a conversation he'd overheard the weekend he came home from school. He wanted to save her from the fate of the Dark Lord's plan that he'd overheard that night. He'd already taken one step, but that step in itself could sign her death warrant. He squeezed her hands and leaned down to kiss her cheek, a gesture he wasn't sure had ever happened between them before. He then whispered in her ear,

"If she and I get away, we will tell Potter your situation. I will send word and we will get you to safety. I promise, Mother." She gave him a small nod and returned his kiss on the cheek.

"I will see you at dinner, son. Clear your mind and prepare yourself before you come. Also, he should not return for at least a week after tonight… factor that into any plans that you may be forming."

He nodded and took his leave, his head swimming. His mother had taken him by surprise, he had noted that she'd called Hermione a muggleborn and not a mudblood. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Had she never been a believer in bloody purity? Had she just been swept along by a husband clinging to the most powerful wizard he could find? She had known all along that Hermione was in the manor and had kept the secret. He really was just at a loss on this. Slowly, hope dawned inside him though. His main doubt about running involved his mother. He hadn't wanted to leave in the den of vipers. But if he turned and worked for the Order, they would have to spare and protect his mother. Between the two of them, they had a wealth of information they could give the other side. Definitely something to consider. Another of his lingering doubts was betraying his father. He'd spent his entire life trying not make that fucking man be proud of him. It had been a hard lesson for Draco to learn that Lucius only cared for himself. Nothing would ever be enough for him. Intellectually he knew this, but it was hard to convince the child he had been to abandon his father and all attempts to win his love. He suddenly found himself back at his bedroom door, his feet having carried him on their own while his thoughts were occupied with the strange events with his mother. He hurried in, wanting to get Granger's opinion on the matter. It didn't occur to him to notice that this was one of the few times in his life he'd been eager to confide in another person, to ask their opinion and truly listen to their advice. He opened the door to the study and found her staring idly out the window. She started, whirled around, whipping her wand out as she turned and pointed it at him in a smooth motion that he both admired and hated. The fact that the seventeen year bookworm turned and braced for a fight like an experienced auror was a sad sign of the times.

"Merlin, Malfoy! You startled me." She relaxed her shoulders and tucked her wand away. When she looked back up at him her smile faded. "What's wrong? What's happened?" She asked in a flat voice, obviously dreading terrible news. Had he completely relinquished his mask around her? She shouldn't be able to read his face that well. Well, he had every intention of telling her anyways.

"I just spent some time with my mother." He swallowed and took her hand and let her around to sit on the sofa. He took a deep breath and raked his hands through his hair. "It turns out that she saw me Disapparate with you from the drawing-room that night." He turned his head to look at her, and saw her mouth open in horror. "She wants us to run. She wants you to ask the Order to protect me. She says you are honorable and you'll repay the life debt you owe me for getting you out of there." Had he not been a bit overwhelmed with the situation he may have laughed as seeing Granger speechless for the first time in the history of man. "I didn't tell her that I had any plans or that I was thinking about joining you on your mission or anything." He waited for her response, knowing full well that she'd have something to say about it.

"What about her? What is she going to do?" He should've known she'd be worried about his mother. This witch was too good to be true. Who cares that the wife and sister to two of the worst Death Eaters alive knew that she, Hermione, was currently hidden in same home they were living? She wasn't worried about being turned in, but rather was worried about what would happen to his mother.

"I told her that if we escaped successfully, we'd speak to Potter on her behalf. Would you be willing to do that?" He saw her hesitate and realized that she knew nothing about his mother. "I want you to know that my mother is not her sister, or my father. In fact, she told me she was proud of me that I saved you even though you are Muggleborn. She said Muggleborn, not mudblood." This gave her pause.

"Really? Huh. Maybe she's more like Andromeda than Bellatrix." Hermione stood and paced to the window and back a few times. He took a deep breath.

"Granger." She turned back and he continued, "the Dark Lord is coming to the Manor tonight." He watched her face pale and he stood, walked over to her and enfolded her in his arms. They both needed the contact. "I'm expected to attend dinner with him and I assume the inner circle." He lowered his chin to the top of her head and she squeezed him tighter.

"What's going to happen? Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine. We both will be. We have about two hours to relax and then we'll get you holed up behind the bookshelf and I'll make the preparations I need to be ready to withstand any Legilimency." He kissed her on the forehead. "Okay?" She said nothing but nodded into his chest. After a moment she pulled away, stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his. He could taste her stress and fear. This wasn't a kiss for passion; it was a kiss for comfort. He returned it, enjoying the feel of her in any situation. After a moment he pulled away and led her back to the couch. He settled against the arm of the sofa, stretched his legs out along the cushions and pulled Hermione down to snuggle against his side. She turned and rested her head against his chest. He wrapped his arm around her, finally letting go of a bit of tension.

"Mother also told me that You Know Who shouldn't be back to the manor for at least a week after tonight. So I'm thinking we should plan on getting out inside of say… four days? What do you think?"

"What if we left right now? I don't like the thought of you being so near him." She reached for his hand and twined her fingers through his.

"Well… it'll take us at least half an hour to get our shit together to leave and then we'll only have an hour and a half head start before they know I'm gone. I won't be comfortable with that small a window. Would you be?"

She sighed, "No. you're right. I just… I'm just scared." He squeezed her again.

"Okay, so not today. What about four days from now? That'll give us as many as three full days before it's reported to Voldemort that I'm MIA."

"Is it okay if we don't make any plans until you make it through this dinner unscathed?"

"Fine by me, love. I wish you wouldn't worry so much. Perhaps…" he trailed a finger up her arm to her cheek. "Perhaps I can take your mind off of things…" He tipped her chin up and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that was meant to wipe her mind of anything but him. His tongue pushed past her lips roughly and swept along hers, his hands pulled her flush up against him. He groaned as he felt her hands fist in his hair and they were both lost to the rising passion.

They surface for air some thirty minutes later, both flushed. He pulled away and sat back to look at her. Her lips were swollen, she had whisker burn on her chin and her hair was an absolute disaster from his hands. Her eyes were dark and heavy lidded and her shirt was crooked where he'd been exploring… his eyes were drawn to a love bite on her collar bone. Desire curled again in his stomach, he growled and kissed her again, quickly.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, I've got to get ready for dinner. If I show up smelling like a witch they'll feed me to Nagini. I'm going to go take a shower and do some meditating to clear my mind. I think it's time to settle you in behind the book case. I'll have Trixie bring you something to eat while I'm in the shower since I don't have the pleasure of sharing dinner with you this evening." She nodded and he knew her nerves were back full force. "We'll be fine, Granger. I promise. And I'm going to continue this little interlude, too." He winked at her and left the room.

He summoned Trixie and asked her to take a plate of cold cuts, cheeses and bread into the study. He doubted Hermione would settle enough to eat a full meal, but maybe she would snack on that. He made his way into his bathroom and took off his clothes that smelled of her. As much as he enjoyed her scent, he'd have a damn hard time explaining that away. He turned the shower on as hot as he could stand it and stood under the spray. He had to calm and center himself to keep his mental barriers in tact to survive the Legilimency he was certain he'd suffer tonight. Unfortunately, he was having trouble shedding the thoughts of the half hour he spent wrapped around Granger a little bit ago. He looked down his body at the evidence of just how much he'd enjoyed that time with her. He'd have to take care of this... he couldn't walk into a room with the Dark Lord with his mind on fucking the mudblood he had hidden in his room. He sighed, reached down and with thoughts of Hermione, took care of business.

After he'd finished with his shower he made sure Hermione was tucked securely in the hidden space behind the shelf and had her food. He did a sweep around the room to ensure that no trace of her was left. Then he conjured a flask and removed incriminating memories of Granger and their plans. He stored it in a secret compartment of his dresser. Removing the memories only took them out of his conscious thought, if Voldemort looked into his subconscious hard enough he could uncover them. But this step should at least keep him from accidentally thinking of it until he returned them to from the flask to his conscious mind. He sat for a few minutes and inspected his mental barriers, making sure that they were strong and that there were safe memories accessible to Voldemort should he care to look. When he was satisfied that he was as ready as he could be he finshed dressing and went down to what he hoped would be an uneventful dinner.


	8. Night of Anguish

A/N: Thank you again to the lovelies that are reviewing! I wish more people would... hint, hint. :D

Did I mention that Draco is a potty mouth? That comes into play here a bit... consider yourself warned. Enjoy!

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Hermione paced the tiny room behind the bookshelf. She'd chewed her fingernails down to the quick. Draco had been gone for at least an hour and she was scared to death that something would go wrong and he'd be tortured or killed. The longer he was gone, the more her imagination went wild with scenarios, each one worse than the previous. What should she do if Draco never came back from dinner? Tears pricked the back of her eyes and her throat ached with them. She realized that in the short time she'd been here Draco had become very important. Not just to her survival as her means out of Malfoy Manor, but important in her heart as well. She shook her head to try to shift her thoughts, she couldn't think about this now. She had to get her head in the game. What would happen if he didn't come back? She'd have to try to escape on her own. She sat down on the blankets and put her head in her hands, escape without Draco seemed like a suicide mission. Could she seek out Narcissa? Would Narcissa come looking for her if something happened to him? Narcissa knew that she was here…. She rose to pace again, restless indeed for Draco's return.

Draco entered the dining hall as the last few Death Eaters were taking their seats. He spotted his mother in her usual place and moved to sit between her and his lunatic aunt. Marvelous. This was going to be a fantastic evening. Was it bad that he was sarcastic even in his own head? Oh well. He sat and greeted his mother and aunt quietly, with little inflection. He ate quietly as soup was served, trying to attract as little attention as possible. In situations like this he spoke only when spoken to, it was just safer to keep his head down and do his best to go unnoticed. He usually managed to finish a meal and a meeting only uttering a sentence or two at most. He hoped tonight would be the same; he did not want to participate in anything. He kept his ears open without seeming giving any outward attention to anyone except occasionally his mother. He listened to Nott go into disturbing detail about a couple of teenage muggle girls he'd taken his sick pleasure out on the night before. Poor things. They'd have been better off if he'd just AK'd them right off the bat.

Down the table he listened to Yaxley speaking to the Dark Lord about young muggleborns. "Someone tracks it when magical children are born to muggles, Hogwarts has always automatically sent them letters on their eleventh birthday, right? Where is the record kept? If we can access that we'll know from their birth and have ten years to subtly dispose of them before they even come into their magic." Draco could tell Voldemort was intrigued. Yaxley continued, "Is it the ministry or someone at the school who has the lists? We have easy access to both." He sat back with a satisfied smirk. Draco kept his calm mask on, but he was raging internally. They were discussing the systematic murder of infants and children; just checking off a list.

"Severus," Voldemort hissed, "Do you know where this record is kept?"

"Indeed, my Lord, I do not." He answered calmly. "I have never been a party to the process of sending the letters, or the representative that's sent to mudblood homes to explain. Upon my return to the school tonight I will begin work to uncover the location of the records and will bring them to you immediately upon their recovery, if that pleases you, My Lord." Snape respectfully bowed his head.

"Do that, Severus. If we wipe out mudblood children before they are able to learn magic it would reduce the pockets of resistance we may have to endure in the future. Thank you, Yaxley." Yaxley looked exceedingly pleased with himself: that was as close to praise as Voldemort ever came.

Draco did his best to continue eating the chicken that was on his plate, but the conversations going on around him had absolutely demolished his appetite. Suddenly Nott and Mulciber were on their feet with their wands pointed in each other's faces, breathing heavily, Nott's face was red as a beet. While everyone's attention was diverted Draco silently Vanished most of the food that remained on his plate and warily gripped his wand under the table, praying that a duel wouldn't break out right there.

"Gentlemen…" Voldemort spoke in a deadly quiet voice. "Are you interrupting our lovely, civilized meal?" Both men started and their angry glares turned into fearful submission, they mumbled apologies and sat back down. "I thought not." He said smugly.

"Let us get some business out of the way before our dessert arrives." He paused, steepled his fingertips and looked at each face present. " It's been months since we've had a large scale muggle attack. I want something similar to the Brockdale Bridge. I want mass casualties." His grin was sinister and there were many appreciative sounds echoing up and down the long table. "I want to kill or maim as many as those useless muggles as possible. A sporting event, a hospital… something with a large impact. When I return after the first of the month I want to hear some well-thought out suggestions."

Murmurs of "Yes, my Lord" filled the room. Fucking sickos.

"Now, I have some lingering… questions about the escape of the Boy Who Will Not Fucking Die and the other two brats that occurred early last week under the watchful eyes of Bellatrix and the Malfoys. In my…. displeasure last week I failed to get the full story. Now. Draco." He turned his cold, dead, eyes on Draco and his stomach churned, dreading what questioning was going to take place. "Your Auntie Bella tells me that you refused to properly identify your former schoolmates. Would you be so kind as to explain your lack of cooperation?" Voldemort had his head cocked slightly to the side, an expression of polite interest on his face as though they were discussing Sunday's Quidditch match. It was almost funny, the contradiction between the threat his words carried and expression on his face. With his perfected Malfoy mask in place, he returned the Dark Lord's penetrating gaze.

"Yes, My Lord. I'm afraid my actions have been misrepresented, for I was certainly not _unwilling_ to identify them: the issue was in their identities themselves."

"Indeed? Go on." Draco thought for a moment, Voldemort's expression remained unchanged which was good. Usually when he had someone cornered he started to look… gleeful. He continued, trying to be as succinct as possible, babbling was always a sure sign of nerves, which always encouraged Voldemort to be even more ruthless.

"The one who did, in fact, turn out to be Potter had been hit by some jinx. When he was brought to us his face was distorted beyond recognition, it was swollen so that no bone structure could be detected, the skin discolored, his eyes swollen shut, even his scar was unrecognizable. I would not say it was Potter because I wasn't certain. So, I would not agree with my aunt that it was Potter because I wasn't sure, not because I was uncooperative. I did not want to muddy the waters with falsely identifying someone as he."

"And the other two?" Draco was a rock; he would not give anything away.

"The mudblood I was unsure about, also. I made fun of Potter's mudblood at school for having a ridiculous, bushy rat's nest for hair and buck teeth. This girl had her hair tightly braided and her teeth were even and straight. I didn't pay much attention to the mudblood at school because she was just that, a mudblood. She would look like any other bushy-haired, buck-toothed girl in Britain to me. I apologize, My Lord, that I could not confidently confirm their identities."

Draco watched Voldemort mentally picking apart his response and felt he'd done a fairly good job. He maintained eye contact and waited for his answer. He tried very hard not to think about the deplorable things he was saying about Granger: it had to be done.

"And what of the Weasley boy?"

"I was nearly certain it was Weasley but I was unwilling to risk incorrectly identifying the other two because Potter's capture is so important to you, I did not want to be the one responsible for Summoning you for the wrong person and wasting your time. After Potter and Weasley broke out of the cellar Potter's face had returned to normal and we could all see that it was him, but until then I remained unsure." Voldemort stared him down and he felt him slightly probing his mind, looking for deception. Draco held deadly still and calm, confident in his mental blocks and available memories. He focused on Potter's distorted face. Voldemort could sift through and choose memories at will, not just what was in the forefront, but Draco had never been important enough to warrant this and, confident as he was, he didn't want it to start now. Hopefully he'd see just how bad Potty had looked and would concede that Draco had done nothing wrong.

"I will accept your answer, Draco. Now, answer me this: where were you when I arrived?" A bit of dread curled in his stomach. He had a feeling he was about to pay for missing the punishment he handed out that night. He dropped his gaze to the table and allowed his face to look slightly shameful.

"I ran, My Lord. When the chandelier fell there were glass shards flying everywhere and Potter had Disarmed me, he had my wand. I…. I ran for cover, sir."

"So, you ran…. away. Tsk, tsk, Draco. A coward like your father after all aren't you?" Voldemort was getting the smirk that surely meant he was about to be hit with some kind of curse.

"My Lord, I hope before I reach my father's age I will be a worthy and trusted Death Eater." He felt it the best option to remind Voldemort that he was barely an adult, hopefully he'd cut him some slack. Ha. Good joke, Draco.

"I suppose we shall see. If you live so long." Now his smirk turned hard and Draco felt his anger. "Regardless of your cowardice during the event, you should have returned immediately upon my arrival. Let this be a lesson to you to not abandon your Lord to save your own hide." With that Voldemort raised his wand and silently blasted Draco out of his chair. The chair splintered, his knee cracked on the underside of the table as he flew back, his head hit the granite wall behind him and he collapsed in a heap of wood splinters and leather. His vision grayed and started to tunnel on him. Oh, not good at all. He struggled to stay conscious. He had to stay awake and aware in a room full of Death Eaters. Fuckity fuck fuck fuck!

"Bella, please remove your nephew from the dining hall. Let him crawl his way back to his chambers and let us continue with our meal." His vision wavered but stayed with him as Bellatrix none too gently levitated him around the table and out of the dining room. She knocked him against the door jamb and he restrained his cursing, not wanting to draw Voldmort's attention back. He didn't risk a glance at either of his parents. Really, he was lucky to get out of there with only the one hex. He had expected worse from the direction the conversation had gone. He dimly heard Bella hissing insults and reprimands in his ear as she floated him up the marble stairs and unceremoniously dumped him at the top.

"Serves you right, Draco. You're too much like your slimy father." She turned on her heel and left. He was grateful that she'd brought him up the stairs at least, but he knew she'd come the extra distance only because she'd wanted the chance to lecture him, not because she was helping him get to his room. It was really too bad his head was pounding so hard that he hadn't been able to listen... He struggled up from the floor and tested his weight on the leg that had smashed into the hard oak table and discovered that he wouldn't be able to put weight on it in its current state. He summoned a walking stick from the umbrella stand down the stairs and transfigured it into a crutch of sorts. His vision swam again and he thought about sending a Patronus to Granger for her to meet him in the hall and help him into his room, but even in his befuddled state he knew it was too big a risk. He stumbled and weaved his way to the door to his room and made a graceless entrance as his crutch caught on the threshold and he lurched into the room off balance. He shut the door and warded it against entry, using wards he'd learned from books he'd unearthed in the library- ones he didn't think his parents knew. He limped the remaining distance to the couch in his study.

"_Accio Frankenstein_" he mumbled and the book flew off the shelf into his hand and the shelf moved to reveal Hermione, pale-faced with a death grip on her wand. Her eyes immediately flew to his crumpled form on the sofa.

"Malfoy! Merlin, what happened?" She rushed over and smoothed his hair out of his face.

"Some kind of blasting curse… hit my head when I fell. You Know Who's pissed off that I got out of the drawing room that night before he got to punish me." His vision swam again sickly, the edges blurring and turning gray.

"Stay with me, Malfoy." She tapped his cheek, just barely short of slaps, "Come on, look at me." Why was this witch so bossy? He did turn and look at her, both of her… wait, were there three of her? He groaned as he felt her fingers gently prodding the back of his head, she frowned in concentration.

"I think you've just got one hell of a concussion, the bone feels fine. I'll be right back." She stood and hurried off.

"I'll wait here, shall I?" He bit back, irritated. Where the hell was she going? She needed to heal him, dammit. After a moment she bustled back in and knelt next to him.

"I noticed that you keep some basic potions in Stasis in the bathroom, I brought you the standard pain relieving and anti-inflammatory ones. Here, drink up." She unstoppered each and held them to his lips in turn. Now his mouth tasted like burnt tree bark. "I think that's all I'm comfortable doing for your head, besides mending the laceration, which I did a few minutes ago. Where else are you hurt?" She patted down his chest and torso before he grabbed her hands to stop her.

"Left knee, hit it on the table when I fell back." He sighed as she ran her wand over it, the potions were already working and the pain wasn't blinding anymore.

"Nothing's broken. I'll heal the bruise though." He felt the knee cap warm and then some of the pain faded. "Do you feel nauseous?"

"No."

"How's your vision?" She stared hard into his eyes, he only saw two of her know, that was better. His field of vision was also back to normal, no more gray at the edges. He supposed the anti-inflammatory was taking care of any swelling in his brain or whatever.

"Down to double. It was triple when I got here." She nodded, her mouth set in a grim line.

"Let me work on the bruise on your scalp… then I'll let you rest." He turned his head to the side to give her access and felt a bit of pain leave as she worked on it. "Were your parents there when he did this?" She asked quietly.

"Yes." He sighed, imagining she wasn't going to have a good reaction to this.

"I'm sorry, Malfoy. I don't suppose they could've done anything but make it worse." He nodded, surprised that she understood. "Will your mother come to check on you? Should I hide out behind the book case?" She softly ran her hand down his arm from his shoulder to wrist. He reached up and threaded his fingers through hers.

"No, I warded the room, she won't be able to get in. She knows I can take care of myself or I Summon a house elf if I need more than I'm able to do." He kissed her knuckles and closed his eyes.

"I guess this isn't anything new to you is it?" He felt a feather light touch on his cheek and leaned into it.

"No," he sighed. "No, it isn't." Maybe he'd just have a little pity party for a while. He felt like shit. "You'll need to take me up three or four times during the night. If I don't wake up Summon Trixie. She knows how to handle head injuries." She frowned and settled into his side.

"Like the Americans say, this ain't your first rodeo. I hate that you're used to being injured…" she trailed off.

"What's a rodeo?"

She chuckled. "Another time, perhaps. Get some rest, I'll be here when you wake." He nodded. She'd be here when he woke. He wasn't sure why, but that simple, short phrase made something in his chest constrict. Or maybe it was head trauma. He'd figure it out tomorrow.

"Before I fall asleep I need to tell you something to pass to Potty," she straightened up to pay better attention, sitting propped up on her left arm looking down at him. "They're trying to find the muggleborn registration at Hogwarts and they'll use it to _eliminate_ muggleborns before they learn magic." He watched her face blanch. He reached up and cupped her cheek. She leaned into his touch but said nothing so he continued. "They are also planning some large-scale muggle attack. He specifically mentioned finding a hospital or sporting event, he said he wants maximum casualties." He closed his eyes and shook his head. Even before he had realized that purebloods were no better than muggleborns he had hated the senseless murder. He could understand things like politcal assassinations... sometimes you had to cut off the army's head instead of trying to kill each of its soldiers, he didn't condone it, but he understood it. But this... this was deplorable. He felt her hair tickle his face and then felt her lips press to his. His mood lifted and he sighed against her lips. She moved hers in a gentle kiss and his mind cleared. He lifted his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her just a little closer. He groaned when she wouldn't let him deepen the kiss, in fact she pulled away and looked down at him.

"You're hurt, maybe tomorrow if you're feeling better." She winked at him. Damn her, he _was_ feeling better when she was kissing him...

"Fine." he pouted a bit, he wasn't too proud to admit that. "Tomorrow. I'm holding you to that, Granger." He glared at her for a second and she winked again. "If you aren't going to snog me let me go to sleep, witch." she giggled and settled down again into his side. She flicked her wand at the window and the silver vapor of her nightly Patronus shone for a moment. She kissed his cheek and rested her head on his shoulder, the palm of her hand flat on his chest over his heart. He laid his own hand on top of hers and sighed. His headache was pounding gently with each beat of his pulse but it was manageable. She had taken good care of him. He settle in a bit against the cushion and realized that his thumb was gently rubbing the back of her hand. Huh. How often did that happen and he didn't notice? He decided after a moment's deliberation that he didn't really mind. In fact, he realized that he was content. In this moment, right now, for the first time... maybe ever, he was content.

It lasted until she woke him up every fucking hour on the hour asking him the same fucking questions every fucking time. Then he wanted to throw her skinny ass through the fucking window. Fuck. Needless to say, Draco did not enjoy being woken up. Fucking concussions...


	9. A Heart Full of Love

A/N: I've only had a few reviews but they inspire me, so here's another chapter, enjoy!  
We're finally going to get some lovin' in this one! Prepare to fall in love with Draco... (or a little more in love with him if you're like me.)

* * *

Several nights later Draco awoke with a start and stared into the darkness of his room, wondering what had woken him. He was tense and alert waiting for some sound or movement. Suddenly he heard, muffled through the door to his library a small cry of distress. Granger? Then he heard her again, the volume increasing as she mumbled 'no' over and over again. What as she dreaming about? He had enough of his own nightmares to know she'd rather be woken up then trapped in whatever hell her mind was putting her through. Getting out of bed, he lit his wand and went through the door into the library. It was nearly pitch black in here as well, the fire having died to coals. As he walked to the couch he could just make out her shape under the blanket, curled into a tight ball and twitching. She cried 'no, please' in a voice that broke his heart. Draco lowered himself to the edge of the couch and ran his hand gently down her arm.

"Granger," he whispered, not wanting to frighten her any more than she already was. "Come on, you're okay. It's just a nightmare, wake up." As he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear he felt wetness from tears. He didn't know it was possible to cry in your sleep. He flicked his wand toward the fire and small flames grew, it would be easier waking if there was some light.

Hermione gasped awake at the touch of his hand to her face, she shot up into a sitting position, eyes wide and fearful.

"Hey, you're okay. It was just was just a dream," he said quickly, he could tell she was trying separate the dream from reality. Her eyes locked on his and her bottom lip trembled.

"Oh God!" She gasped, "Thank goodness it was only a dream!" she launched herself at Draco and buried her face in his neck, wrapping her arms around his chest. Taken by surprise he slowly wrapped one arm around her shoulders and gradually the other. He wasn't sure what to do with this emotional Granger. He wasn't good at the comfort thing, having never been comforted himself. But this seemed to be what she needed. He was uncomfortable though… sort of twisted at the waist to have both arms around her. Well, he saw a simple solution: she gasped as he lifted her easily and positioned her to sit across his lap and she settled into his chest. They sat for a few moments while she got her breathing under control. Eventually she pulled back to look sheepishly at him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to attack you."

He laughed softly, "it's okay. Want to talk about the dream?" He really was curious… he didn't notice that his right hand was gently trailing his fingertips up and down her spine.

"Oh, um. Bellatrix." His stomach clenched. He hated that he was related to the woman who caused this girl's nightmares. Bellatrix was evil.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, again unsure what to do. They sat quietly for a few more minutes, his arms still around her. She pulled her head out from under his chin and looked up at him.

"I feel like a coward, but I think I'm afraid to be alone. Would you… would you sit with me until I fall back to sleep?" He thought he'd feel shocked by that, but then he remembered how he felt every time he woke up from one of his nightmares about the Dark Lord, or about any of the other hideous things he'd endured in the last year. Instead of answering, he just lowered them back to the cushion, shifting so that they lay on their sides facing each other. He took her hand that was lying between them. He hated feeling responsible for causing any more pain. It wasn't his fault exactly, but his family's. He was tired of watching his evil relations be…. Evil.

"Are you okay?" he whispered. He flicked his wand at the blanket and covered them both as she shivered.

"I think so. It's fading now." He didn't say anything, just held her hand, his thumb rubbing small circles on the back of it- as though this small action of comfort could right all the wrongs that had been committed. "Thank you for waking me." She said quietly.

"You don't have to thank me. You'd have woken me up if you'd heard me having a nightmare. It'll happen sooner or later, so we won't keep score." He flashed a small smile at her. They lay quietly for a few moments, both very aware of her hand in his and his thumb moving in the circles.

"I'm afraid to close my eyes. I'm afraid that she's waiting there, in my mind, for me to fall asleep again." He winced. Bellatrix would love this. He didn't know what to say to Hermione. He didn't know a way to chase dreams away and it would take forever to brew a potion to give her for peaceful sleep. Instead of answering he shifted to put his forehead against hers. His life was hell right now, as was hers. Couldn't they give each other a little comfort even though they'd been- well he'd been, so terrible to each other in the past?

Hermione sighed at the tender gesture. He wondered what she thought of it. He wanted to kiss her again, badly. Here in the quiet and the dark. Here where they both needed something good, some support and care from another human being. He opened his eyes to find her watching him, somewhat warily. He pushed himself up onto his elbow and pulled back an inch or two to focus on her eyes better, they were wide and dark. He saw her gaze flicker down to his mouth. Yes.

He released her hand and moved it to tuck that strand of hair behind her ear again, then gently touched her cheek. She closed her eyes at the touch. He looked at her parted lips and slowly lowered his head to hers pausing at the last second, giving her a chance to pull away… he wasn't sure of her mood. She didn't. He pressed his lips to hers gently and briefly and pulled back. After a pause it was she who closed the distance this time and pressed her lips to his. His pulse quickened and he returned her kiss. It started gently, almost lovingly but soon they got carried away with rising passion and excitement. His hand left her face and moved down her side, her hand was fisted in his hair. Her lips parted and his tongue moved inside to rub against hers. His hand wrapped around to her lower back and pulled her fully up against him, they both moaned at the contact as he moved against her. Her hand left his hair and trailed down his naked back, he was glad he hadn't thought to put a shirt on before he came in. He was still in his boxers actually.

His mouth left hers and trailed kisses down her jaw to her ear and his hand crept up her back underneath her shirt wanting to feel her smooth skin. He felt her hand on his cheek as she pulled his mouth back to hers and he laughed into her parted lips.

"Good God, woman." He moaned after several minutes, or hours- he had no idea, sliding his hand down her back, hip and thigh until he was grasping the back of her knee. He pulled her knee up and wrapped her leg high around his waist. Their breath was harsh as he shifted to roll her to her back moving with her so that she was fully underneath him. She wrapped her other leg around his waist and strained against him, both of them gasping and moving against the other, mouths frantic. Before long he couldn't take any more; He wrenched his mouth away from hers and moved back to rest his head on her chest. He listened to her heart pound and felt its beat match his. He sat back onto his heels, still between her legs. He looked at her flushed cheeks and red lips, he hair mussed and her shirt pushed up above her waist. She looked edible.

"Hermione, we have to stop now or I'm not going to want to stop. Ever." He groaned and despite his words he gripped her hips and pulled her firmly up against his arousal. "God, I want you," he whispered. He watched her as she fought to catch her breath. She reached up and took his hand.

"Who told you to stop?" She asked so quietly he almost didn't hear her. Surely she didn't just say that?

"What do you mean?" He was sure he had misunderstood.

"I… I don't want to stop. I want to be with you." Her already flushed face turned even more crimson, but he saw no fear.

"Wh… why?" He stuttered. Shocked to his toes, he _really_ wanted to believe that she meant it, but couldn't see how that could be true. Well, he'd have never thought they'd do something anywhere close to what they'd just spent the last half hour doing.

"Because I want you. Because this feels amazing. Because I could be killed at any moment. Because every decision I've made in the last year has been based on hate and fear. I want to do something that will make me, and hopefully you, happy. In all this darkness and misery, I want to have something happy to look back on if I survive this thing. Instead of doing something out of hate, I want to do something out of… well, not love but…" she trailed off, perhaps feeling embarrassed.

"Hermione, in the hell we're living in, I say anything this far from hate can be classified as love" he whispered. He meant it. He realized that he would do anything he could to give her that happy memory. He'd contributed to too many of her bad ones. He wanted to redeem himself.

She reached up to cup his face in her hands, pulling him gently down to her. "Make love with me then," she said quietly. How could he resist her? He let her pull him down and gently kissed her. He felt a tightness in his chest that he didn't recognize and he put every tender feeling he had into that kiss, granted it wasn't much, but he hoped she knew he was trying.

"Are you sure?" he asked against her mouth, even though he asked he was unwilling to move away from her. Please, Merlin, don't let her say no. When she didn't answer he gave in and moved back to study her face. She was looking at him intently; he could all but hear the wheels turning in her mind. Slowly, she moved to grasp the hem of her shirt that was bunched beneath her breasts and to his amazement she stared him in the eye as she slowly pulled the shirt up to her chin, only breaking eye contact to take it over her head. His eyes raked over her, she was beautiful, perfect. Only her still prominent ribs and collar bone detracted from her beauty, it made him hope that someday he could see her like this when she was back to a healthy weight… He watched a flush work up from her breasts all the way to her hair line and he grinned. Unable to resist their lure, he lowered his face, kissing the valley between her breasts.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered against her heated skin. He skimmed his lips over her, kissing, teasing and exploring. They were both in heaven. He listened with no small amount of arrogance to her gasping breaths and felt her nails scrape up his back. He wanted to be sure that she never forgot him. If they survived this war, he wanted this memory etched in her mind forever as the best night she'd ever spent. As a beautiful, passionate, significant moment in her life. His hand trailed down to touch her and he nearly lost control when he found her ready and she strained against his hand. He was certain she had never been with a man before and he wanted the process to be as painless as possible. He slid a finger into her, feeling her tight heat. She gasped and he groaned at the feeling. He moved gently and she writhed against his hand. He pressed his palm against her and moved in soft circles and she arched her back and thrust her hips to meet his hand. He gently inserted another finger, wanting to make her as ready for him as possible. Her breathing became more frantic and her nails scored his back and pulled his hair.

"Draco," she gasped, the need becoming overwhelming. "Please…" she trailed off, unsure what to ask. But he knew. He hadn't had near as many conquests as he'd been credited for, but he knew what she wanted and that he'd never wanted anything as much as he did her in that moment. He pulled back to peel her knickers down her hips and tossed them away, forgotten completely. He quickly stood to remove his boxer shorts, returning to her as fast as possible.

"Look at me," he demanded and her eyes met his. "Tell me if I hurt you." He was pretty much certain that he'd be her first and that lit a strange fire in his soul, the satisfaction of knowing that he'd be the first to introduce her to these feelings and sensations. Their eyes were locked on each other as he moved gently, watching for any sign of pain or discomfort. He moved so slowly it was torture for them both, his jaw was clenched and his hands were clamped on her hips. After a moment her eyes fluttered closed and her mouth opened.

"Oh…" she exhaled. A slow smile spread over her face and she opened her eyes to look into his again.

"Are you okay?" he asked hoarsely, hoping he hadn't hurt her. In response she moved experimentally and gasped at the sensations that coursed through her. "No, hold still a minute. You're killing me, witch." He closed his eyes, he wanted to do this right, he wanted to make sure that this happy memory that she wanted was as close to perfect as he could make it. After taking a moment to calm himself, he began moving slowly, tortuously. Pushing them higher and higher. Her hands gripped his shoulders and her heels dug for purchase in the sofa cushions as she met his movements. He kissed her deeply and felt her tensing beneath him; he moved his hand between them and gently circled his thumb over her to push her over the edge. She tore her mouth away gasping for air and moaning his name, came undone. Her release fueled his own and his moans mingled with hers and were all her name.

They lay a tangle of limbs and blankets trying to catch their breath, still joined. It occurred to him that he should probably move so he wasn't crushing her, but even as he thought it her arms snaked across his shoulders to hold him. He was more than happy to stay put and nuzzled her neck. He sighed contentedly, not sure if he had every felt anything like this before. Happy didn't even come close to it. He'd never had so personal and emotional an experience with anyone before. He refused to let it scare him. This was part of redeeming himself. He wasn't Draco Malfoy: Death Eater any more. He was Draco Malfoy: human being with a heart. That sounded lame even in his own head, but it was true. He really felt like he was crushing her, so he wrapped his arms around her and rolled them so that he was underneath her and she was sprawled across his chest. They lay quietly, contentedly for some time; his hand was trailing slowly up and down her spine.

"You called me Hermione" she spoke sleepily against his neck; one of her hands was tracing small circles on his arm.

"Mmm," he grunted in response, then "You called me Draco." They lay in much the same way for a few more minutes, both feeling very relaxed and content. He wondered if he should carry her back to his bed… he was just a bit too tall for this couch.

"Will I be Granger again in the morning?" she asked sleepily. He had just started to drift off himself when she asked.

"No… I don't think so. I think we're past the point of no return on first names. Unless you _want_ to go back to the way it was before…" he trailed off uncertainly. He was now fully awake, aware that this was a critical point in their relationship…. Or whatever was going on between them. If she wanted to go back to calling each other by their last names, it was drawing a line that cut off how close they could be. There was a certain level of distance and dislike maintained when they called the other by their last name, almost a refusal to acknowledge that they were worthy of being on a first-name-basis with each other.

"No, I like it. Say it again." She tilted her head up to nuzzle underneath his chin. He laughed softly, pleased with her answer.

"Hermione." He pulled her tighter against him. He felt like his heart was on display tonight.

"Draco…. Kiss me." She lifted her head and he pressed his lips to hers for a brief moment. He knew she was about to fall asleep. He rolled her off of him and settled her onto the pillow. He listened to her breathing slow.

"Do you want me to go back to my bed?" He whispered. He didn't really want to, but he was slightly uncomfortable... he'd never actually _slept_ with anyone before. The night of his concussion hardly counted. Could she possibly _want_ him to stay?

"No, stay." Good. He curled his arm around her waist and pulled her close so that they were spooning. They were both asleep in minutes and spent a dreamless rest of the night.

Hermione woke a few hours later feeling extremely warm. She realized she was almost entirely enveloped by Draco. His long frame was pressed against her back from the top of her head down to her toes and one of his arms was wrapped securely around her waist. It was surprisingly comfortable. She was also surprised that Malfoy was a cuddly sleeper; it was such an… intimate thing. Her thoughts drifted back to the night before. Part of her was in shock that she'd willingly had sex with Draco Malfoy. She could explain it intellectually: it had been seen time and time again that humans reacted that same way during times of war. War time babies. An emotional response when people tried to affirm their own existence by being physically intimate with another. A biological response that reacted to war saying 'when in danger: procreate.' Despite these knee-jerk responses, she was still satisfied with her decision to be intimate with Draco. She had meant what she'd said about wanting to make a decision for herself and for something other than fear. She was quite pleased with the results of said decision. Quite pleased indeed. She stretched and felt a few unfamiliar aches and sore muscles and smiled at the memory of making love with Draco. He'd been much more gentle and attentive than she would've thought. When she was younger she'd imagined that her first time would be with her husband on their wedding night, they would be madly in love and it would be an amazing experience. Well, that young version of herself was long gone. She was only 18 but the war had aged them all beyond their years. None of them were starry eyed children anymore. While her first time hadn't been the romantic wedding night she'd always naively envisioned, it had been pretty amazing. She smiled to herself and settled back in against Draco. His arm tightened around her as he slept.

Draco woke slowly to the feeling of a very feminine derriere nestled firmly against his groin, which promptly stood at attention. He pushed himself up onto his elbow and gazed down at her in the soft morning light. That furrow between her eyebrows from being incessantly deep in thought was finally gone, the dark circles she'd acquired over the last year had faded, and her cheeks weren't as hollowed as when she'd first been brought to the manor, he was happy she'd begun to put some weight back on. He leaned down and nuzzled his nose against her neck and ear. She smelled delicious. He trailed kisses down her throat to her shoulder. She opened her eyes and smiled, stretching against him.

"Hey," she said sleepily.

"Mmm, hey yourself. I like your sexy morning voice." She smiled and turned her face towards his and he kissed his way to her lips and captured them in a slow, sultry kiss. After a moment he broke the kiss and buried his face in her hair. "Ugh, I've got to get up. I want you again, but you're probably sore. I'll get us some breakfast instead." He gave her one kiss and got up to call for Trixie. Hermione smiled to herself and nestled back into the blankets, not quite ready to get out of bed.

They ate a quiet but comfortable breakfast, nearly all the tension between them had vanished. He'd worried that things would be awkward or she would regret sleeping with him, but she appeared completely at ease, and casually affectionate towards him. A brush of his shoulder as she passed, trailing a finger across his hand from across the table, resting her crossed feet atop his crossed ankles under the table. He liked it, but it would take some getting used to. Affection was not something that was ever permitted in his family. According to his father any sort of emotion, felt or displayed, made you weak and vulnerable to attack. Well, his father's way of life had obviously not been working for him, so he decided to live in the moment and enjoy Hermione for whatever time fate allowed them. He looked over at her to find that she was studying him thoughtfully. He walked around the table, swept her up in his arms and settled onto the sofa with her in his lap. He tucked a curl behind her ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck and lowered his lips to hers. It was so easy to just lose himself in her, to forget that they were in a house full of enemies and in the middle of a war. Who'd have thought that the girl he'd spent a great deal of time trying to break would come to mean so much to him in the space of a week and a half? Madness.

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Review please!


	10. Building Up the Barricade

A/N: Happy New Year! I've had two long weekends in a row so that means you get two chapters in two days! Hope you enjoy! And pretty please review!

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I can find out the truth  
I know their ways  
fought their wars  
served my time  
in the days of my youth

"Alright, Gra- sorry, Hermione. Ready?" He stood before her, wand in hand and looked into her eyes. She closed them for a moment and pictured the empty blackboard that had worked so well yesterday. She took several deep, cleansing breaths and opened her eyes to look back into his and nodded. She watched his eyes begin to darken and in that second she remembered with a flare of panic that she hadn't removed any memories from her mind. Before she could stop them the memories she would've removed came to the forefront of her mind as her panic increased. Her grip on the vision of the blackboard slipped and she watched in horror as the memory of she, Harry and Ron passing the locket back and forth and then the memory of Harry holding it up, blackened and dead. She saw the diary with the hole left from the basilisk fang, and the ring on Dumbledore's hand, Nagini, and heard the word _horcruxes _echo repeatedly in her mind. Suddenly Draco broke the connection with a dramatic gasp and his eyes bored into hers.

"Holy fuck," he said in a shocked whisper. "He's got horcruxes?" she didn't know how to answer, he already knew what he'd seen in her mind. She nodded, deciding that since he already knew the answer it was best to avoid any deception. "Plural?" she nodded, again. "Holy fuck," he repeated. "That explains a lot. How many are there?" She swallowed her nerves; she had nothing to do but to trust him. She knew he'd break into her mind and find the information for himself if he suspected she was lying. She was a terrible liar.

She cleared her throat, eyes wide with nerves, "Six. We think."

"_Six_? Of course, with the bit of soul still in his body that would be seven in total. The magic number. How many are destroyed? From the glimpses I caught it looked like at least two. That leaves four horcruxes and then the piece in his body?"

"Three are gone. Three to go and then You Know Who himself." She confirmed. She really wasn't feeling good about Malfoy having this information, but could see no way out of the situation. Yes, she trusted him with her life, but she wasn't sure she trusted him with the secret to destroying Voldemort. She could catch him unawares and perform a Memory Charm; she was, after all, quite good at them. Voldemort could break through it, but he should have no reason to look. Dumbledore had only wanted the three of them to know about the horcruxes. How could she have been so stupid to leave those memories in her mind? She gripped her wand a little tighter, thoughts on how to modify Draco's memory.

"Okay. Okay, shit." He paced away, running his hands through his hair. "Who all is working on finding and destroying them?" He demanded turning towards her.

"Only me, Harry, and Ron." Maybe she could get some Death Eater insight before she did the charm…

"What? Three teenagers have managed to kill three horcruxes? That's ridiculous!"

"Well, Dumbledore did one before he… died." He twitched at the mention of Dumbledore; she reminded herself that he'd lowered his wand and Snape had been the one to murder the headmaster. Now that she knew him better, she didn't think there was any way he'd have actually gone through with killing him to be honest. Dimly she realized that this was the only time she'd seen him completely lose his cool, he was very close to panicking.

"Fuck me sideways." He breathed, apparently Shocked Malfoy cursed profusely. He resumed pacing, apparently too agitated with this news to do much coherent talking about it. "Let me get my head around this for a minute, okay?" She nodded and sat nervously on the couch. She heard him mutter "Christ on crutches!" under his breath. She'd have to ask him later where he'd learned such a muggle phrase. She willed herself to focus, this was huge. If he decided to give the information to Voldemort to save himself and his family it would mean her death, and the deaths of many, many others. Voldemort would surely go on a rampage. She took a deep breath to calm herself; Draco would probably let her go if he decided to do that. She decided to try to keep a calm head and come up with some kind of strategy. She shut her heart away, refusing to acknowledge the hurt that thoughts of his potential betrayal caused. Alright, strategy… Would he have any ideas about the locations of the last two? She could ask before she performed the memory modification. It seemed an hour before he spoke again, even though it couldn't have been more than five or ten minutes. He stopped pacing and knelt in front of her.

"Okay. We're leaving, today. I told you the other day that I'd think about helping you in whatever you were doing to fight the Dark Lord. I honestly didn't think it'd be anything this important. But, this is the only way he'll ever be stopped, the only way we'll ever be free." She stared at him and he took both her hands in his. "I'm in. I'm all in, Granger." Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open in shock. "This is too important to sit around waiting to be caught by my family; we've got to get out of here. Let's figure out what we need to do to get ready to leave. I think we should do it after dark, which will give us the afternoon to gather supplies and plan. Yes?" She still hadn't found her voice, but nodded. She did agree that she felt like a sitting duck staying in Malfoy Manor, she was beyond ready to get out of there. Could she trust him? She wasn't sure. Her past with Malfoy told her 'no way in Hell.' But during the time since he saved her from Voldemort he'd been a person she'd have never thought possible. The fact that he'd saved her in the first place was something she'd have never credited him with. He walked out of the study as she sat in dazed thought, listening to him rummage around in his room. She'd just let Draco Malfoy in on her most important secret… the most important secret she'd have in her entire life. What if he did decide to present the information to Voldemort in order to save his family? Information that important would surely put the Malfoys back in his good graces. She was just convincing herself to walk in there in and modify his memory when he came back in and knelt down in front of her.

"Look…. It's just occurred to me that you are probably struggling with trusting me with this. I don't like it, but I understand. One week of good behavior is not enough to change six years of bigotry." She nodded, not knowing what to say and feeling somewhat guilty for thinking about messing with his memory. "So, I want you to see for yourself that I'm telling the truth. I want to help you destroy the Dark Lord." She was confused, what did he mean see for herself? Her thoughts must've been plain on her face because he continued: "I want you to use Legilimency to look at my memories. So you can know what I've been feeling. We'll keep at it until you're satisfied that I've changed and that you can trust me." He paused and brushed his thumb over her cheek, "Okay?" He slowly leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss over her lips and a bit of tension left her. She nodded. "You know what to do?" She nodded again and stood to face him. "I'm going to think of the most relevant things first, since you don't really know how to find what you're looking for yet. If you want to keep looking after you've seen those you're welcome to. I want you to trust me." He dropped his wand to the couch and took her left hand in his right and intertwined their fingers. He nodded for her to begin.

_"Legilimens," _she whispered. His pupils widened until she felt like she was falling into a well, their darkness swallowing her. Suddenly she was standing beside a much younger Draco who was kneeling in front of his father.

_"Tell me, Draco, why is it you are not the first in your class?" Draco remained silent, his gaze fixed on a spot on the floor near his father's polished shoes. "Remind me, who is it who has beaten you?"_

_"Hermione Granger, sir." Draco muttered._

_"Hermione Granger." Lucius repeated slowly, separating the syllables. "Unless I am much mistaken, she is the bushy-haired mudblood that traipses along behind the Potter boy. Is this correct, Draco?"_

_"Yes, Father."_

_"So, you mean to tell me that a Malfoy is taking second place to a Mudblood?" Lucius demanded in an eerily quiet, terrifying tone_. _Hermione knew there was more danger in this whisper than in a shout. Cold anger was much more terrifying than passion._

_"Yes, Father." Draco flinched as Lucius' cane came crashing down upon his shoulders, but no sound escaped his lips. She was sickened as she watched Draco kneel, unmoving as his father rained blows down his shoulders and back. This appeared to be something he was familiar with._

The scene dissolved until she watched as an older Draco kneeling this time at Voldemort's feet, instead of his father.

_"Draco, Draco. Tell me, Son. Do you love your mother?" He gestured to the far side of the room and Hermione turned and gasped as she saw the elder Malfoys seated in chairs looking as though they'd been thoroughly beaten. Narcissa was sitting ramrod straight with a lace handkerchief staunching the bleeding of a wound above her left eye. Her face was a mask, without any show of emotion, pain, or fear. Hermione wondered how much strength that took. She'd never felt anything but disdain for the Malfoy matriarch, but at that moment felt a tiny bit of respect begin to grow._

_"Yes, My Lord." Draco answered, his gaze again fixed on a spot on the floor. _

_"Then it would follow that you would do whatever it took to save her from my wrath? Your father was incapable of that. Will I have to punish her for your failings as I have had to do for his?" Voldemort asked, a sickening smirk on his face. He was thoroughly enjoying the humiliation of the Malfoy family._

_"No, My Lord. I will not fail you." Draco replied in a calm voice, as though threats on his mother's life were commonplace. Hermione wondered if perhaps they were._

_"Spoken like a Malfoy to be sure. Well, we'll see, boy. Roll back your left sleeve and I will give you the opportunity to prove that you're less of a failure than your useless father." Hermione tuned out his words and watched as he branded Draco with the Dark Mark. Instead of listening she focused on Draco. Though he'd trained his expression nearly as well as Narcissa, being a part of his memory she could feel waves of fear and disgust rolling off of him. She, Harry, and Ron had all assumed that he'd been eager and proud to take the Dark Mark… she could also feel that he was fully aware that he was not being brought into the Death Eater fold because of his own merits, but as punishment for his father's numerous failings. She felt hatred begin to boil in him. Fear. Hatred. Disgust. This was not what she had expected._

Again the memory faded and her eyes teared up as another memory came into focus.

_She stared into the pale face of Albus Dumbledore atop the Astronomy Tower on what she could only assume was the night he was killed. She didn't need to listen to them speak; she already knew what they'd discussed from Harry. Instead she paid attention to the emotional climate and Draco's body language. Similar to the last memory she felt his fear, bordering on desperation. As though she were reading a closed caption of his thoughts, she knew he was deathly afraid for his mother. She understood that he knew if he did not succeed in this mission his mother would be killed, brutally. Following that was the knowledge that he too would meet that fate. Surprisingly she also felt pity stir in Draco as he watched the obviously ill headmaster slide down the wall. She didn't want to watch the rest of this memory. She knew what came next._

Now she was standing in a village lane in the dark, lights from spells flashing brightly. Screams filled the night air.

_She understood that this was a muggle village, and that Death Eaters had descended with the intention of torture and murder. She turned away from the flashes and screams to watch Draco. He was leaning against a back wall of a home, hidden between a chimney and a stack of firewood. He had his left hand in his pocket and was idly twirling his wand in his right. Through the magic of Legilimency she was once again able to read his emotions as though they were printed on a page. She felt his disgust. She could tell that he had no desire to join in the debauchery and cruelty that was going on around him. He glanced down at his watch and sighed deeply. He raised his wand to his cheek and with a silent spell cut a shallow gash, he put a scrape high on his forehead. He used a silent Severing charm to rip several holes in his robes. He looked down at his clean hands, turned, and to her shock closed his fist and punched the brick chimney three times in quick succession. Grimacing, he cast a charm that apparently eased the pain in his ripped and bruised knuckles. He shook out his hand and picked up his mask that he'd discarded on the ground and blasted burn marks on the areas corresponding the injuries on his face. He sighed again, put his mask into place and stealthily returned to the now declining action._

Once again the scene transformed and she found herself in Malfoy manor again. She wasn't sure of the room, but the marble floor and dark wall hangings were familiar. It was dark and she felt afraid.

_She saw Draco in front of her, flat against a wall, appearing to be listening to a conversation taking place around in a room on the other side of that wall. She edged a bit closer to him, even though she was fully aware that she couldn't be harmed. Like the last one, this memory must be fairly recent, he was tall and broad shouldered, she could just make out the Mark on his arm in the gloom._

_"My lovely Narcissa." She and Draco both shuddered at the tone of Voldemort's voice. Hermione, knowing that she couldn't be seen, peeked through the doorway to see the occupants of the room. Voldemort was standing insultingly close to Narcissa, trailing a finger down her throat to her cleavage and down her stomach. The woman's composure didn't waver. "For some reason, Narcissa, my goal remains unmet. Have you been… undermining me?" His voice was deadly soft._

_"No, my Lord." She replied calmly._

_"I shall see to it that you do not. If you fail to produce me an heir, you will lose yours. Do you understand me?" Hermione was appalled, did he mean what she thought he meant? She moved back to look at Draco and both saw and felt his revulsion and fear for his mother. Either she gives birth to the Dark Lord's son or he will kill hers._

_"Yes, my Lord."_

_"Good. Take this potion; take one dose every night this week. You will visit me in my bedchamber on Saturday night and you will conceive my son and you will be looked after for the rest of your days. I will continue my bloodline, Narcissa, and yours, the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. The heir of Slytherin _will_ have an heir." He started to step away, but turned back. "Oh, and Narcissa? Your sister lives to please her Lord. I suggest that you find that same level of….appreciation, before Saturday. If you fail me, she will be a suitable and loyal mother to my son, but you… you have a subtle and very Slytherin manner of controlling a situation that your sister lacks. In some areas I enjoy her wildness, but in others…. It will not do. Remember Narcissa: on Draco's head be it." He swept out of the room into an antechamber that left Draco undiscovered in the hallway. Hermione stared at Narcissa for a moment, heart full of pity, as a tear leaked out of the mask of calm. She shivered and hurried out to Draco. He was standing frozen against the wall a look of horror and loathing. _

Hermione felt the sensation of hurtling back out of the well she'd fallen down and found herself back in the present. She was inches away from Draco's pale face. His mouth was set in a grim line and she knew that he'd also seen the memories as they'd played back for her. She sniffed and realized that there were tears streaming down her face. How could she have ever thought that he'd entered in to Voldemort's service willingly? Did anyone besides Bellatrix actually volunteer? She supposed people must, but now knew that probably a lot of them did it out of fear. She was horrified that Voldemort was attempting to produce a child. But she knew that the likelihood of his offspring being equally evil were slim, unless he were to raise the child himself. One thing at a time, kill Voldemort, then worry about any progeny. Her thoughts returned to Draco as he turned away from her tears. She put her hand on his shoulder. He tensed, but didn't draw away.

"I don't want your pity." He snapped. "I see it all over your face."

"I know you don't want it. You only want my trust. You have both, though." She pressed on his arm and he turned towards her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and silently mourned for the child that this man had never gotten the chance to be. "Your mother…. Will she be alright?" She didn't know if he could go and leave her here.

"I don't know. Probably not. Once they discover that I've run away, she may follow suit. I am the only thing keeping her here." He returned her hug and rested his chin on her hair. "She'll have to leave. Or he'll kill her. She'll never be able to bear him a son, you see."

She pulled back to look up at him, "Why not? She's young enough…."

"I snuck a potion in his food to render him sterile. We'll never have to worry about a second generation of evil." Hermione's eyes widened. "He has Pettigrew taste all his food before he eats it, checking for poison, but obviously it did no visible harm. I watched him eat the entire meal. He's shooting blanks, Granger." He said with a smirk.

"My god, Draco. That was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. If he'd caught you you'd have been killed immediately!"

"Can you blame me? Would you want to have a half-sibling whose father is the most evil wizard of all time? I think not. Anyways," he continued before she could interrupt, "Do you feel comfortable leaving here with me or do you need to see more?" He studied her brown eyes, with a worried expression in his.

"No, I don't want to see any more." She responded immediately with a shudder. She was slightly nauseated with what she had seen already. "And yes, I feel safe with you." He gave a small smile and leaned down and slowly kissed her. When she returned his kiss his arms tightened around her and pulled her up against him. "Mmm, Draco," she breathed against his lips. "This feels amazing, but don't we have a lot to do today?" He sighed and pulled away.

"I suppose you're right. As always." He kissed the tip of her nose and began pacing while he plotted.

He devised a plan for the day; she would pack clothing, healing supplies and such in her bag. He would go to the kitchens and pack up as much food as he could without raising suspicion, having heard her stories about nearly starving while on the run with Potter and Weasley he had no desire to live through that and no desire to watch the couple of pounds she'd managed to put on during the last week and a half be starved off again. He would also get his broom and their tent from the World Cup and have it ready to go as soon as full darkness fell that night.

While she packed a thought occurred to her and she went into the bedroom to Draco.

"Hey, I've been thinking-" she started.

"Shocking!" He interrupted, smirking. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"How early in a pregnancy can a paternity spell be done?" His movements slowed and he turned from the bag he was packing.

"I'm not really sure, but I feel like it's got to wait until the mother is three months or so along. I don't remember where I heard that though…" He scratched his chin. "Why?"

"That's what I thought also. Are you parents Occlumens?"

"Yes. What are you thinking, Granger?"

"Is Voldemort still giving your mother that fertility potion?" She persisted, wanting answers to her questions before she presented her idea.

"I believe so, that memory was from the first night I came home from the Easter holidays. So the Saturday night he specified was just a few days ago."

"Have your father impregnate her." Draco made a slightly disgusted face but she continued. "It'll buy her at least three months before he'd be able to find out the child was your father's and not his."

"I'm pretty sure he's keeping them separated to prevent that." He was looking thoughtfully at her.

"Um, hello? You're Malfoys! You're the most cunning family in the history of wizards! I imagine your father could find a way to sneak into her chambers for a few minutes."

"You know what? As much as I hate to think about my parents having sex, it's a brilliant idea. I'm going to go tell my mother to get it on with my father. I'll be back." She laughed at the uncomfortable yet slightly amused expression on his face as he walked out of the room.

Draco ordered a large supper and they ate as much as they could as they watched the sky darken as the sun sank below the horizon. Hermione wasn't hungry in the least, but memories of going to bed hungry encouraged her to eat until she was uncomfortable. She was reaching the freak-out portion of the program at this point. Every time she'd been in on the plan for any covert operation, right before it commenced she spent several minutes in a sheer panic. She was rifling through her beaded bag mumbling to herself.

"Socks, jumpers, nickers, jeans, shoes, books, Essence of Dittany, bandages, Blood Replenishing Potion, Skele-gro, bezoars, toothbrushes, tent, blankets, map of western Europe…."

"Alright, Hermione. Add this parcel of food and let's get on with it. We don't have time to fret over anything, if we don't have it, we don't have time to get it. We need to go. Okay?" He tucked a loose curl behind her ear in a gesture she had come to love and she took a deep breath to calm herself. He was right, they had to go now. He was expected to return to Hogwarts in a few days' time and the risk of being discovered seemed to increase every day. They had to go while they had the chance, while they had supplies and not in a desperate bid for freedom if they were found out.

"Okay, let me go use the loo before we leave. Oh, and Draco? I should confess…. I'm not a good flyer." She was extremely nervous about this issue. To be honest, she truly hated to fly. All forms of magical transport were preferable to flying in her opinion. She expected Draco to be annoyed, but to her surprise he chuckled.

"I know." She wondered how he knew that…. "Don't forget that I have known you for seven years and have only seen you on a broom that very first time in Hooch's class. You have flown since then though, correct?"

"Yes, of course. But only if I couldn't help it. If Harry, Ron, and Ginny badgered me to play Quidditch so they'd have even teams."

"Granger playing quidditch… that's something I'd like to see. Never fear, love, you'll be riding with me. I'll keep you safe and sound." He gently pushed her toward the bathroom and she rushed away, feeling marginally better. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to spend a couple of hours wrapped in Draco's arms… she'd just have to forget that they'd be soaring hundreds of feet above the ground…

A few minutes later they stood in the darkened study, he was clad in long, black wool, fur-lined cape and she in one of charcoal-colored wool that resembled a muggle trench coat, buttoning down the front and ending mid-calf. The collar and hood were trimmed in rabbit fur. He had a messenger bag slung across his body and her beaded back was securely stowed in an inside pocket. The night was cool and the wind would make it feel as though it were the middle of winter. They stood for a moment at the window, his broom waiting, listening and watching for movement outside.

She turned to him, pointed her wand and whispered, "_Visio Nocturna_" then turned the wand on herself. She blinked several times and suddenly they could see the patrolling Death Eaters as though it were midday. She was quite glad she'd stumbled across this spell.

"Nice one, love! I'll ask you later where you learned that one. My turn." He raised his wand and tapped it on the top of her head and she felt the familiar cold trickling sensation of a Disillusionment Charm. She watched as he, too, disappeared. She felt his hand touch her shoulder and slide up her neck to cup her cheek. She raised her hand to his and rubbed a couple circles with her thumb as she felt his lips press to hers. The kiss lasted only a couple of seconds, but it still made the muscles low in her belly clench. Even invisible he turned her on. "Alright, it's late enough that no one should miss me until mid-morning so we should have a ten hour head start. Because you're on the same broom with me we'll be able to cross the boundaries without issue. There may be a spell to detect Apparition within a certain distance of the Manor. I don't know if it's active, but we're going to operate under the assumption that it is. We'll go by broom for at least two hours. More if we can manage it. We've got no real destination in mind, so maybe if we've been flying for a while without seeing any lights or homes we'll set up camp. Alright?" She nodded, but realized he couldn't see her…

"Yes, alright. I'd like to stop a moment when we've crossed the perimeter around the Manor; I think we should take a couple seconds to see if our crossing has caused any disturbance. It would be good to know if we were being immediately pursued or not, you know?"

"Yeah, good idea." He paused, she assumed he was thinking it over. "Yeah, we'll do that. Okay, you mount the broom and I'll get on behind you. Got your wand and bag?"

"Yes and yes. Just so you know, if you let me fall to my death I _will_ come back to haunt you. You'll have no rest from me." She smiled as she felt him laugh as he settled in behind her on the broom. She quite liked the feel of being pressed against his front, his strong arms around her.

"Alright, quiet as we can." They eased out onto the window ledge, quite an awkward maneuver considering they were both invisible, he'd rendered the broom invisible, and the ledge was narrow. She clenched her lips tight so that she wouldn't squeal and give them away when they took off, but soon found it unnecessary. He was very gentle and smooth as they lifted slowly off the ledge. She heard the window softly close behind them and they slowly ascended, eying the Death Eaters below warily. They flew at a snail's pace, watching for any sign of alarm from the men below. All stayed quiet and they continued out over the expansive lawn to the boundary of the property. She felt a hum in the air and knew they were approaching the wards. Sure enough, after a few more seconds she felt the magical disturbance as they crossed over. They moved a dozen yards past this point and turned to look for signs of trouble. She was relieved to see that the patrollers had kept the same pace they had seen watching through the window. No lights in the building had come on; no cries of alarm could be heard. She'd envisioned a much more dramatic escape… curses flying, fleeing at top speed, barely making it out alive, if at all. So far this was going much better than that…

She felt him shift and he breathed in her ear "So far so good," so quietly it was nearly inaudible. She nodded against his cheek, enjoying the contact. He turned the broom away from the manor and they continued on into the darkness.


	11. Look Down

A/N: Happy Friday! Not a much going on in this chapter, but I'll post another on before the weekend is over. Thanks again for reviewing, I hope to see more of that!  
Oh, and henben: I almost posted this about noon EST, but stopped myself because I didn't want to inconvenience your pup, you're welcome. ;)

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Freedom is mine. The earth is still.  
I feel the wind. I breathe again.  
And the sky clears  
The world is waking.

Hermione hate flying. Hated, hated, hated, hated, hated it. Attempting to play Quidditch out back at the Burrow was one thing. There they had to stay below the trees so she wasn't _absolutely_ terrified, only mildly. But this? This was nauseating. It felt like they were miles above the ground. Why couldn't her terror freeze her eyes shut? Nooo, instead her eyes were frozen open and she could see _everything_. She glanced down and watched the waning moonlight glint off the surface of a river that wound its way through small hills. Toward the east she could see the lights of a small city and to the west the expansive dark of a forest. She shivered both at the cold and the fear of falling to her death. She felt Draco's arm tighten around her and his lips press into her hair. She snuggled back into his chest and felt slightly better. Her hands and face were freezing from the relentless wind though. Rolling her eyes at herself for not thinking of it earlier, she pulled her wand out of her sleeve and cast a silent Warming Charm on her hands and face, then on Draco's hands that were clutching the broomstick in front of her, reaching back to find his invisible cheek, she did the same to his face.

His head dipped down and he spoke above the wind, "Do you want to land and rest for a few minutes and decide what do to next?" She nodded eagerly, she wanted off that broom as soon as possible. She wasn't sure what the cruising speed was of the broom, but she knew they'd been flying for hours; it had to have been well after midnight. They had put a good bit of distance between themselves and the Manor. They were gradually losing altitude, to her great relief, and Draco was slowing down, searching the dense trees for an area open enough to land in. After a few minutes of searching they came upon a small clearing where an ancient oak had recently fallen. Its huge canopy had left an area about fifteen yards across clear of any trees. They silently descended, halting just below the tree line and listening intently for any signs of danger. After hovering for a full minute and hearing no sounds other than crickets and a lonely owl hoot, they dropped the rest of the way to the ground. Hermione dismounted clumsily, her legs stiff and stood alert looking about her in the dark, her vision still keen from her spell. She felt Draco's hand brush her side and felt him move closer to her and then still, she assumed that he too was still on high alert for any sound or indication of an enemy. As nothing could be heard but the normal noises of a forest at night, she slowly relaxed. She lifted her wand and tapped it on the top of her head, warmth cascaded down as the Disillusionment Charm was lifted. She saw Draco come shimmering back into view as well. She turned her back on him and walked in a circle rehearsing the familiar charms and protections around their clearing.

"Well, what do you think? " He asked, "Should we put more miles behind us or rest here tonight?" She walked back over to him, thinking.

"To be honest, I don't think we're going to feel safe anywhere so we may as well set up camp here. We can move on in the morning. What do you think?"

"I agree. But I think I'd feel better if we set up the tent back in the trees a bit. It feels too exposed out here. Someone could find it just like we did." She nodded and closed her security spells. He put his broom over his shoulder, took her hand led them into the woods. They moved as quietly as possible through the forest. It was an old one, full of mature trees that blocked sunlight from reaching the floor so they didn't have to worry about fighting through underbrush. She let him pick their path and was glad that he seemed inclined to take charge; making a lot of the decisions but still listening to her opinion. She was a bit tired of mothering Harry and Ron. She had a feeling Draco had been self-sufficient for a very long time, which made her a bit sad. His life had been ruined by Voldemort just as surely as Harry's. Draco's parents were living, yes, but Voldemort had still taken them from him. His father cared only about power and his mother was not allowed to love him the way a mother should. It was hardly any wonder that he'd been a bitter, resentful child. She marveled at the similarities between Harry and Draco… both were raised in loveless homes and their childhoods had been nothing short of survival. Despite all that, Harry was so selfless and good and had been his entire life. Draco had, until recently, been quite the opposite. Maybe it was nature not nurture that took a bigger precedence. Or the fact that while Harry had been _hated_ as a child, Draco had been taught _to hate_. She smiled to herself picturing the looks on each of their faces if they ever found out that she saw any similarities between them. She glanced up at him from under her lashes, studying his profile. He looked a little healthier than he had when she'd been taken to the manor less than two weeks ago. He'd eaten full meals and appeared to sleep through the night every night that she'd been there. She wondered what the difference was. Maybe it was getting all of his fears off of his chest and finally taking an active role in his life. She returned to her study of his profile. His jaw was shadowed with a couple of days' worth of whiskers. She liked it. She wanted to run her hand over it to see what it felt like. His lips were no longer pulled back into a sneer, his brow no longer furrowed. Getting out of Malfoy Manor was doing wonders for him she mused. Her gaze went down over his overcoat and to his hand clasping hers. She enjoyed the feeling of her hand in his, and was surprised that he allowed it to happen. Simple affection didn't come easy to Malfoy. His hand was much broader than hers, the fingers much longer. His palms slightly callused -from riding a broom, she imagined. She shifted her grip and threaded her fingers through his and he looked down at her. She suddenly felt a little shy and wondered if he would draw his hand away, instead he gave her a small squeeze and kept walking. She smiled to herself again. It made her happy that she'd been allowed to break through a few of his walls, he'd opened up a lot to her and she doubted he did that with many people. Maybe no one at all. She was lucky to have been there when he decided he needed to get some of it out. With a blush her thoughts drifted back to last night. The day had been so hectic she hadn't let herself think about it. He'd been nothing like she would've thought, granted she'd never thought about Malfoy in that way before- she had always been too distracted by his awful attitude. He'd been tender and loving and it had overwhelmed her. She wondered if she was in danger of developing feelings for him. Like real, significant feelings. If she were honest with herself she was nearly certain that she already had those feelings. Waiting for him to come back from dinner with Voldemort had been agonizing. Then coming out from behind the shelf to see him collapsed on the sofa, pale and obviously hurt… it was one of the most terrifying experiences she'd ever faced. While she had waited on him to come back she had thought about what would happen if he didn't make it back, if Voldemort or a Death Eater killed him; it scared her. It scared her in a way she hadn't fully expected, it went past being afraid for the consequences to her own safety and escape, but for the lack of having him in her life. Yes, she knew that he had become extremely important to her and those significant feelings were getting stronger by the day. Surprisingly, she wasn't particularly worried. Could he break her heart? Probably. But, she thought grimly, the chances were high that neither of them would survive this war: in the morning when Draco's absence was discovered he'd be hunted by both sides. The Order might never believe that he'd switched sides and the Death Eaters would never believe he hadn't. She didn't fare much better, being second only to Harry on the Death Eater's most wanted list. So, she would live one day at a time, take each moment for what it was and not risk missing anything in the limited time that she had left. She wasn't suicidal or a pessimist, she was a realist. She wasn't ready to lie down and die. She was going to fight like hell, but intelligence as high as hers could not ignore the probable outcome. So no, she would not regret last night. She would not guard her heart from Draco. She would live each and every day as though it were her last, because it might very well be, and she would make all the difference she could each and every day.

While she'd been lost in this contemplation Draco decided that they'd come far enough into the woods and pulled her to a stop. He gazed around.

"This seems as good as anywhere else. Don't you think?" She nodded and Accio-ed the tent out of her bag, it flew out and landed in a heap of canvas. Draco pointed his wand at it wordlessly and it assembled in a few quick seconds. She turned her back on the tent and again completed a circle around them casting her wards. As she turned back to Draco she saw him flick his wand and felt an unfamiliar hex fly past her.

"What was that?"

"Just another ward. Can't be too careful." He held open the tent flap for her and she smiled and walked towards him. Unlike Perkin's tent that they'd been camping in, this one was made of dark green canvas with a serpent embroidered on the flap at the entrance. She glanced at him and rolled her eyes. She wondered what in the world the inside of the tent would be like…

"Ugh. I effing hate this thing. It's embarrassing. Got it to use for one night at the World Cup and he still had to do this." Draco said behind her. Her eyes widened as he lit the lamps and she took in the sumptuous interior of the supposed 'tent'. It was like Arabian Nights with thick rugs and silk drapings in green and silver from the center of the ceiling out and down the walls. She laughed out loud and turned to see Draco looking grouchy. She quieted her laughter and wondered waited for him to say or do something.

"My father has lovely taste, can't you tell? Only garish, gaudy… hideous crap. He doesn't care what it is as long as it looks expensive. Here, let's get old Lucius out of here, shall we?" He looked thoughtful for a moment, then pointed his wand at the silk on the walls and ceiling, it vanished to reveal a soft sagey green canvas instead. The rugs went next, reducing in number and changing to more neutral patterns. The couches and chairs went to creamy brown leather with comfy pillows. He moved into the room and pointed his wand through a doorway and made that too to his taste. "I won't even show you how disgusting the bedroom was. Now it's just like mine at home, hopefully that suits you." It took him a second, but the implication that they would be sharing a bedroom caused a blush to creep up his pale cheeks. "I mean, there is a second bedroom, you can sleep wherever you like, you know that." She was amused to see him fidgeting, Draco was always so stoic, it was nice to see him flustered. She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist, linking her fingers behind him and peeking up at him.

"Where would you like me to sleep?" She was nervous, and she was nearly certain that he wanted them to sleep together in the master bedroom, but she wanted to hear him say it. She'd slept so well wrapped in his arms the night before and she felt like she couldn't go back to sleeping by herself. She would miss him. She was self-aware enough to admit it. She watched him struggle with deciding whether or not to admit that he wanted her to share a bed with him. In his mind, it would make him vulnerable and he'd been raised to avoid vulnerability at all costs. His gaze focused back on hers now and he returned her embrace.

"I want you to sleep in there with me. If you'd like to that is." He nervously licked his lips. She took pity on him and rose on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.

"Nowhere else I'd rather sleep." She stopped him as he pulled her up against him and pressed his lips to hers. "Hang on," she pulled away and laughed at his outraged expression; apparently Draco wasn't used to being denied anything. "I have to send Harry a Patronus or they'll freak. The last thing we need is for them to storm the manor after we've already gotten away."

"Oh alright. Fine. I see how it is." He shoved his hands in his pockets and pouted. She winked at him and in his surprise his pout turned into a smirk and he reached for her again. She laughed and dodged his reaching hands.

"Two minutes! Give me two minutes!" She giggled as he growled at her, than giggled at herself because she liked the growl. Taking several steps away she tried to be serious and get her Patronus sent inside her allotted two minutes. She turned away from Draco and thought hard about what to say to the boys. She waved her wand and heard her own voice in her head.

_"Harry, Ron. We've escaped the manor and are still fleeing. So far so good. I'll send another Patronus when we're more confident of our safety. Hope you're well. Love, Hermione." _

She pondered for a moment what they would make of the 'we' in her message. She imagined that for a split second they'd be incredibly relieved that she'd escaped but then they'd notice the 'we' and 'our' and would be shocked, confused, and angry that she was still with Malfoy. They were so predictable when it came to hating Malfoy. Oh well. She'd explain it to them. Hopefully she'd get the chance… She sighed, suddenly feeling drained. The adrenaline of their flight was wearing off and she was fully aware of the fact that she'd slept little the night before and it was surely approaching dawn by now. She felt Malfoy's arms around her and she leaned back into his chest.

"You look tired." She nodded. "So am I, it's been a long day. Come to bed." She let him lead her into the bedroom and she eyed the large bed somewhat nervously.

"Wait, do you think one of us needs to stay awake and keep a lookout?" They had always kept a watch before….

"Honestly, I think we're both too tired to do any good. Neither of us is awake enough to make a worthwhile guard." It made her slightly nervous but she nodded in agreement. The way she felt she'd be asleep in ten minutes whether it was at the entrance to the tent on the ground or in this giant bed…

He helped her out of her overcoat and removed the beaded bag from its inner pocket. Out of it he Summoned their pajamas and toiletries. Handing hers to her he said, "Here, the bathroom's in the same place. Take your time." She nodded her thanks and, gathering her items, headed to wash up and change.

She closed the bathroom door behind her and leaned against it for a moment. Why was she suddenly so nervous? Oh, right. Because she would be sharing a bed with a man tonight. Not just a man, but Draco Malfoy: childhood tormentor. She shook her head at those thoughts, unless he was playing her for a fool, and playing very well, he had truly changed. She would give him the benefit of the doubt, he deserved no less. Despite her determination to trust Draco, she was still ridiculously nervous. Yes they'd already slept together, but it was so spur of the moment that she hadn't had time to overthink it, which was precisely what she was doing right now. She sighed and reminded herself how gentle he'd been the night before, how he had taken such care with her. _Alright Hermione_, she coached herself as she changed her clothes, _put your big girl panties on and quit being a scaredy cat._

Having completed her grooming and pep talk she went back into the bedroom to find Draco already in bed with the covers pulled up to his stomach. His hands were clasped behind his head and his eyes were closed. He looked so handsome. She smiled and climbed in beside him to lay her head on his chest. His arm came around her shoulders and he gave her a gentle squeeze. Then he laughed softly against her hair.

"Relax, Hermione. Go to sleep." She looked up at him, surprised.

"Oh. I assumed you'd want to… do… other things." She blushed furiously.

"Oh I want to. But first off, we're both exhausted and it's got to be like four in the morning. Second, I imagine you're too sore for any fun tonight." He raised an eyebrow in question. She smiled shyly.

"A bit sore yes. And exhausted. Can I get a good night kiss though?" She gasped as he flipped her over to her back and came down on top of her, only to kiss her so slowly and sweetly that she felt tears prick the backs of her eyes. She reached up to trail her fingers along his jaw, feeling his stubble like she'd wanted to earlier. Goodness, she loved kissing him. His tongue teased her lips apart and lazily moved with hers. She made a low sound of pleasure in her throat and he gently pulled her closer. This kiss was different than the ones they'd shared before. There wasn't so much heat as there was warmth. This kiss did things to her heart instead of…. other places. Well, in addition to the other places anyway. After a few quiet moments he broke away, placed a final chaste kiss on her lips and sighed.

"I'm not finished with you, witch, but I'm bloody exhausted." He pulled her over to lie on his chest once more and she snuggled in. Enjoying the feel of the sparse soft hair over the hard muscles of his chest under her cheek, she drifted off to sleep.

Draco woke up with a jolt, barely able to breathe, something covering his face, something that smelled like lavender and tickled… ? He smiled and swept Hermione's hair off of his face, damn she had a ton of hair. He liked it though, as much as he used to tease her about it. It was tamer now than it had been when she was young, the frizz having given way to beautiful soft curls. Maybe it was the weight of it; it was easily 6 inches longer than he'd seen her wear it at school. He guessed haircuts were hard to come by when you were on the run with the most wanted wizard in Britain. He smoothed his hand down the back of her head. They were laying in much the same position as they had been in when they went to sleep. He was extremely comfortable now that he wasn't suffocating. Who'd have thought he would've wanted the intimacy of sharing a bed all night long. And with Hermione Granger no less. But he could admit to himself, as nervous as it made him, that he liked it. A lot. He sighed. What were they doing? Was this just a fling that lasted until it burned out… until one or both of them were killed… until they'd completed their mission? What did he even _want_ this to be? Did he want it to be anything at all? A sly voice in his head answered, _yes_. The memory of Hermione writhing at his feet as Bellatrix tortured her haunted his thoughts continually. He would never forgive himself for standing idly by and watching it happen. Intellectually, he knew that if he had stopped it or shown any preference she'd have been killed to spite him and then the torture would've been turned on him. But he would take the guilt of inaction to his grave. He was starting to think that he cared for her. Well, he knew that he cared for her: she may be the only actual friend he'd ever had. Crabbe and Goyle were around only to hang on his coat tails. Pansy only wanted to marry him for the Malfoy fortune. So yes, he knew that he cared for her, but he was starting to think that she was going to become something major. Did he want to let that happen, did he want to open himself up to that kind of vulnerability? His father's teachings and Malfoy instincts said no, absolutely not. But hadn't he hated his father, his teachings, and the Malfoy legacy for a long time? It had gotten him nothing good but a vault full of gold, which he probably wouldn't even live to make use of. So was that it then? Should they just *gulp* love each other as much as they could for the time that they were allowed? What would it be like to be loved by Hermione Granger? The sly voice in his head whispered again, _they'd be_ _the best days of your life_. Could he love her? Yes, in all honesty, he thought he might be already halfway there. He pulled himself out of his musings and noticed that the sun was already over the horizon. Despite only having a couple hours' sleep he knew that they needed to get up and be on their way. They needed to get more distance between themselves and the manor. They were more than far enough away to Apparate without detection now. He gently shifted so that she rolled onto her back, making a small sound of distress in her sleep. He smiled and leaned down and trailed kisses across her collar bone. She sighed and shifted closer. Yes, he could love this woman. He kissed up her throat, nibbling here and there, across her jaw. When his lips finally met hers her arms came around him and she smiled into his kiss.

"Mmm, much better than an alarm clock," she murmured and buried her hands in his hair and deepened the kiss. After a moment he groaned and pulled back. She stuck her lip out in a pout and tried to pull him back down to her.

"As much as I'd love to spend the day snogging you, I'm afraid we really should be on the move. Don't you think?"

"Fine. As long as you promise to wake me up like that every day." She blushed and smiled shyly at him. Something in his chest tightened pleasantly.

"Be happy to." He gave her another quick kiss and rolled away to get out of bed. "As long as you tuck me in every night." She blushed a little bit harder at her embarrassment that he'd caught her standing by his bed staring at him last week. He sent her a wink and went to gather his things to get ready for the day. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when he came out of the bathroom in a pair of tightfitting jeans and a black button down shirt, untucked, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. She had never seen him in jeans before. Wowza… casual Draco was hot. Smokin' hot. He caught her looking and leaned on the doorframe striking a pose for her. She blushed, stuck her tongue out at him and went back gathering her things to get dressed herself. She tried to stay focused on getting ready, but the image of those long legs in those perfect jeans was extremely distracting. He had perfect legs... she had a thing with legs. She noticed and admired good legs on men and women, not bow-legged and definitely not knock-kneed either. Long, lean, and perfect. Like the rest of him. She peeked over at him again, this time she she got the view of his back side. Oh Merlin, was she drooling?


	12. A Heart Full of Love - Reprise

A/N: As promised, here's your second chapter of the weekend. Let me know what you think!

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A heart full of love,  
No fear, no regret.

They Apparated further north to a forest that looked largely similar to the one they were in right now and went through the process of setting up their security and tent again. Assuming Draco wouldn't know how to get food on a plate without a house elf she went to the kitchen and fixed some sandwiches for an early lunch from the stores they brought with them. They ate quietly, both a little out of it from getting only a few hours of sleep. Hermione finished and after depositing her plate in the sink turned to Draco.

"I'm going to go walk around the woods for a bit. I've been stuck inside for so long I'm itching to spend some time outdoors, I'll stay within sight of the tent. Why don't you go lay down for a bit, I'll wake you in a couple hours and we'll make plans for the rest of the day, yeah?" She'd moved up behind his chair and rested her chin on the top of his head.

"Actually, I'll take you up on the nap but I'll do it outside. There's a hammock in this tent somewhere. I'll go string it up outside. I've been cooped up same as you." He stood up, gave her a quick peck and helped her into her coat, it might have been May but this far north it was still a bit chilly.

Once outside she ventured over the rocky, hilly ground. It seemed they had managed to locate one of the few flat areas around to pitch their tent. Draco had taken about 2.7 seconds to fall asleep in the hammock he'd hung up in a sunny spot near the entrance to the tent and she smiled to herself at the sight of Draco Malfoy sleeping in a hammock. She wondered how many people, if any, had ever seen him in such a relaxed setting.

She had no real purpose as she wandered, she picked up interesting rocks, trailed her hand over soft moss and lichen, watched squirrels and birds in the canopy. She took a deep breath of the crisp air, relishing the breeze and sun on her face. She was happier right now than she'd been in… wow, she didn't even know. She looked back over her shoulder to be sure she hadn't wandered too far and could still see Draco. She pondered him for a moment. Woods were a good place for pondering, quiet but with white noise, interesting yet not distracting. She smiled again, looking at him. She was in definite danger of losing her heart to Draco. She wasn't worried. She had decided the night after she'd kissed him that she wasn't going to be afraid anymore. They were all facing death; she'd take every good feeling that she could get.

She wandered for an hour or so, clambering over boulders and up the rocky slope above their tent, relishing in finally getting some physical activity… well aside from _physical_ activity, she blushed. She found herself seated on a rocky outcrop gazing down at Draco in his hammock, the tent off to her right and the small valley down below them. It was nice to have some quiet time by herself. It's not that she didn't love spending time with Draco, but everybody needed some alone time now and again.

She felt relaxed, but her eyes were always roving and her ears always alert for anything out of the ordinary. After months on the run, these actions weren't even conscious, they were ingrained and she did them automatically.

She thought about Harry and Ron; she needed to get in touch with them soon. She frowned as she thought of Ron. Part of her, well, most of her, had thought that they'd end up together eventually. She knew he cared about her; he was just an idiot and couldn't figure out what to do about it. She'd envisioned them getting married someday, but even as much as a year ago had already begun to worry that they wanted different things out of life. She felt certain that he would want her to stay home and raise a houseful of kids like his mother had done. She did want children, but she also wanted a career and she did not want enough children to populate her own Quidditch team. Her gaze found its way to Draco in the hammock once more. Now that she had this connection with him, the feelings she'd always had for Ron seemed childish in comparison. Ron himself seemed childish. The way that Draco stimulated her mind was the main reason, very few people could keep up with her intellectually, much less challenge her. The only thing Ron ever talked about was Quidditch and food. Maybe that was a bit unfair… but if she tried to talk to him about a book she was reading his eyes would glaze over in less than ten seconds. Draco would listen and participate in an intelligent conversation about it. There was even a good chance that he'd read the book himself. She smirked and thought that that right there was probably what did it. She _loved_ that he made her think. She also loved the way he made her feel. She'd had feelings for Ron for a long time, but never attraction… she only realized that now that Draco introduced her to what attraction actually was. She'd felt a mild attraction to Viktor, but the couple of times they'd fooled around in the dark recesses of the library had ended up just being awkward, and the conversation had been less than thought-provoking. She flushed as she thought about the only other fooling around she'd done… she had snogged Seamus Finnegan at the top of the astronomy tower last year. She'd sworn him to secrecy, but that hadn't been difficult: he knew that Harry and Ron would kill him if they found out he had touched her. And touch her he did, she remembered fondly. He was the first boy to ever get into her knickers. She'd gone up there to get away from Ron who was being a prat and Seamus had followed from the common room to see if she was alright, and maybe to press the advantage of an emotionally wounded girl… who knows. She didn't know what came over him, but he kissed her out of the blue and she'd liked it. She'd never really seen him in that light before, but they got on very well. She had decided that if Ron could snog Lavender all over the castle, then she could snog Seamus right then and there. It had been fun, Seamus had used his fingers to give her her first orgasm, but as exciting as it had been, he had nothing on Draco. She'd enjoyed herself though, and gotten a lesson on how to please a man when she'd returned the favor, much to his delight. The thought of doing that for Draco made her squirm a bit… in a good way. Hm. Maybe tonight. But even though she had that experience with Seamus, it hadn't been attraction. She had done it just because she wanted to know what the fuss was about, she did it for the knowledge… and because the opportunity presented itself. She hadn't really had any desire to approach Seamus for a repeat because again, no attraction. But Draco… he had invaded her mind and her senses. She felt like she was half turned on all the time.

She came out of her reverie and noticed that the day was wearing on and she felt they probably should be attempting to do something productive. She looked down toward him yet again. He looked so peaceful she hated to wake him. But alas, they needed to be moving on, or making plans, or something. They were on the run from the darkest wizard of all time here. She took her time climbing back down the hill, stooping now and again to look at the wildflowers that were pushing their way through the leaf litter. Eventually she made it back to the hammock and looked down at him, he looked extremely comfortable, one arm up over his head and the other across his stomach. She'd love to climb in next to him and snuggle in for a few minutes, but… her balance wasn't the best and hammocks were tricky by yourself, much less with a second person in it. She could just picture flipping both of them over onto the ground, quite a rude awakening for one sleeping so peacefully. Instead she leaned over, brushed her fingertips down his cheek and whispered his name. When he opened his eyes she leaned down and gave him a soft kiss. He didn't say anything, but gestured for her to join him. Unable to refuse him, she hesitantly climbed in, careful not to overturn them like she'd pictured. Once she was settled, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She sighed, very content to be where she was. She watched the clouds race by above and thought over her earlier musings, and the contentment she felt in the simple act of sharing a hammock confirmed her suspicions: she was falling for Draco Malfoy.

He chuckled against her hair, "You know I can hear the wheels turning, Granger. What are you thinking about so hard?" She smiled and looked up into his eyes.

"I was thinking that I'm pretty sure I'm falling for you," she could _just_ see the shock behind the carefully schooled Malfoy façade; it was a shame he'd been trained to hide all emotion. Maybe someday he wouldn't do it automatically. "I know it's crazy, but I'm intelligent enough to know that the chances of a group of teenagers surviving fighting against You Know Who are really slim. And I know we're young, but we haven't really been children since You Know Who returned." She paused a moment and he ran his hand down her arm and squeezed her just a bit tighter. "I've decided that I'm not going to waste any opportunities that come my way. I'm going to take every good thing that happens and enjoy it." She brushed her fingertips down his jawline. His face was serious and a bit sad. "So, you don't have to respond, but I want to tell you now in case I don't get another chance. I don't want to regret not telling you: I think I love you." She repeated. She smiled a bit sadly at his carefully schooled expression. She was quiet for a few minutes and let him get his thoughts in order. She wouldn't worry about his lack of response, she was fully aware that they'd barely been… whatever they were for two weeks. Not even two weeks. But no one had ever made her feel the way that Draco did. She'd never really wanted anyone but Draco, never connected with anyone this way. She smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek and made to settle into his chest again, but he stopped her. He took her chin in his hand and kissed her softly and sweetly. He pulled back and stared into her eyes for a moment. She reached up and wrapped her hand around his wrist.

"I'm falling for you, too, Hermione." He confessed quietly, intensely. Her heart leapt into her throat. "I think we're mad, but yeah. I think I love you, too." She grinned hugely at him and pressed her lips to his. "I don't know what the bloody hell we're doing, but you're right; I don't want to waste anything." He smiled back and kissed her again. Softly, gently, savoring. The kind of kisses that come with the confession of new love. After a few moments he pulled away and settled her back into his chest, resting his chin on her head. They lay quietly for a while, savoring the moment. She was surprised that he'd allowed himself the vulnerability of confessing his feelings toward her. It was a scary thing and she was so glad he was brave enough to admit it to her.

Eventually he spoke again, "How long was I sleeping?"

"I'm not really sure to be honest. I wasn't paying attention." She traced circles on his chest and sighed, hating to bring the real world back into their day. "It's midafternoon by now though, I reckon we ought to figure some stuff out, don't you think?"

"Ugh, fine. Ruin my lovely, relaxing time in the hammock to make me _talk_. Yeesh." He teased. "What's on your mind, my love?" Her heart fluttered at his endearment, she'd have never thought he could be so sweet.

"Well, we need to decide where to go next. And whether or not to try to hook back up with Harry." Again, she was still wary of activating the Deluminator, Ron was so hot headed.

"Ugh even worse! You want me to talk about Saint Potter and the Weasel?" He groaned but winked at her. "Alright fine. I think you need to talk to them at least. Do we need to do it in person though?" He whined slightly.

"It'd be easier."

"Do you want to stay with them or keep going on our own?" He tried to ask neutrally but she could tell that had no desire to go _anywhere_ with Harry or Ron, she was surprised he even asked.

"I've been thinking about that. What worries me most about all staying together is something that's worried me the whole time. It's the reason they left me at the manor in the first place." He looked at her questioningly. "I worry that if we are all together and something happens and we're killed or captured, there's no one left who knows what needs to be done. No one but the four of us knows about the horcurxes." His brow furrowed in thought.

"Besides the fact that I have absolutely no desire to spend time with those two, your point is undeniable. I say we stay split up. Them and us." He lay back in the hammock looking extremely pleased with himself. She rolled her eyes at him but smiled.

"I assumed that would be your opinion, but I'm glad we agree, nonetheless. So next item for discussion: where to go." He straightened up and looked at her. She took a deep breath and blurted "I want to keep hunting horcruxes. We'll never be safe until he's dead. We may as well try to make a difference while we're on the run." She sort of expected him to balk at this. He'd said he that he was all in, but now that the time came, she had to admit that she wasn't fully confident that he'd stick it out. This was a big deal, after all.

"Do you any ideas where he may have hidden the last two horcruxes?" He asked without batting an eye. Huh, maybe he was going to stay the course. She got up to pace.

"The others have all been somewhere that bears importance to him or left with someone he trusted. The first, the diary, was left with your father, he wasn't told what it was- only that it was important to him," she plowed on as his mouth dropped open. "The second, a ring that had passed down through his mother's family, the Gaunts, was hidden in the home where this mother grew up. The third was a locket that had been Slytherin's and he hid it in a cave where he developed his torturing methods on other children while he was at the orphanage." She took a breath and continued since he seemed to be following along perfectly. "Harry swears one is at Hogwarts. I really doubt it and we can't get in to search either way. The snake is where he is, obviously, so she'll have to be the last one. And… this sounds mad, but I keep thinking about Bellatrix being so afraid we'd been in her vault…" she trailed off, chewing on her lip.

"She kept asking you what else you took. When she saw the sword, I mean. She was convinced you took something else." He looked intently at her. It seemed he had the same thought as she did.

"Really? I don't remember. Well, that makes me think even more that there may be a horcrux in Gringotts then."

"How did you get the sword?" He looked at her curiously. "I know you were lying about it, I know that was the real one."

"You're right. To be completely honest we found it." He rolled his eyes, she could tell he thought she was lying and was irritated about it. "Or it found us rather." He looked at her, perhaps a bit less irritated. "Someone sent a doe Patronus to Harry while we were camping in the Forest of Dean and led him to it; it was on the bottom of a frozen pond."

"Who sent the Patronus? Didn't he see them?" He was leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"No, it was so dark and the trees were thick. I was in the tent sleeping when it all happened. Do you know anyone with a doe Patronus." It was a long shot but she gasped as his mouth dropped open.

"Yeah, I do! And so do you." She shook her head; they'd been through everyone they could think of. "You do," he insisted. "Snape."

"What?! Snape's Patronus is a doe?" Wow, that seemed an unlikely thing, Snape and a doe Patronus; she could see him having a vampire bat or a fox or something, but something as innocent as a doe was almost funny. It was shocking to think he may be the one who gave them the sword, but surely there was no way…

"Yeah, it is. I've seen it loads of times. But… there's no way he'd have tracked you down in the middle of a forest to lead him to the Sword of Gryffindor. If anyone hates Potter more than I do it's him." She rolled her eyes at the Harry bashing, the silly boys would always hold grudges.

"I agree. The chances of Snape helping us out are extremely slim. How common is a doe Patronus, do you know?" She sighed as he shook his head. "You know what's funny… Snape's is a doe and Harry's is a stag… hehe, they're a pair!" She laughed at loud as she imagined what Harry's expression would be when he found out that Snape's Patronus was a mate for his. Her laugh trailed off fairly quickly when she remembered why Harry would be so disgusted with Snape. "Well… something to keep in mind. We got off topic there; do you agree that there could be a horcrux in the Lestrange's vault?"

"Yeah, if there's anyone that he trusts, it's her or Snape. They're the most loyal in his eyes. I say it's a definite possibility." She nodded in agreement and spoke again.

"Okay. So Nagini, possibly Gringotts, and _maybe_ Hogwarts. Ugh, I just have such a hard time seeing how he could've had the opportunity to get access to Hogwarts with Dumbledore there, and we're pretty sure he had all but one of them made when he tried to kill Harry as a baby. So that means he's only made one horcrux since he's regained a body and that should be Nagini. Can you think of anywhere he'd hide one?" They were both quiet for several minutes.

"You said that he hid one in his mother's house, right?" He asked, she nodded. He thought another moment then continued, "Well what about his father? That graveyard where he took Potter and Diggory was where his father's buried. Do you think he'd have hidden one in a place that had to do with his father?"

"D'you think? His father was a muggle…" She chewed on her lower lip in thought. "When he was still a student at Hogwarts he tracked down his father and muggle grandparents and killed them in their home." They hadn't considered the Riddle house before, presumably because of Tom Riddle Sr. being a muggle…

"The place where he triumphed over his muggle father would be pretty significant, don't you think? The place where he eradicated the evidence of a muggle heritage…?" He looked optimistic about it.

"You know, that's a possibility. I know you don't want to, but we need to talk this over with them." He rolled his eyes but nodded. "I'm going to send them a Patronus to see if they can come meet us. Do you want to go somewhere else before we bring them to us?"

"Bring them ? How will we do that?" She didn't feel like getting into the workings of the Delumninator.

"It's a really long story. Here? Or shall we go somewhere else?"

"I think we're fine here, and I really don't feel like packing up again." She nodded in agreement at his words, she wasn't feeling particularly energetic.

"Come here, witch." She smiled and obeyed, stopping directly in front of him. "Do you know that it's been at least a half an hour since you've kissed me? I find that highly unacceptable."

"Is that so? That's a cheesy line, but I'll bite." She laughed at his outraged expression and leaned in to press her lips to his. He pulled her close and kissed her tenderly. She didn't think she could ever tire of this. She loved the feel of his lips on hers. She tingled all the way to her toes. "Mm, I love kissing you."

"I'm pretty fond of it myself."

"Do you want to get this meeting over with or put it off til later?" She asked, running her fingers through his silky hair.

"Ugh. Let's get it done, then I can have you all to myself. Show me this trickery of how you'll get them here even though you don't know where we are." She laughed and waved her wand to send a Patronus to Harry.

_"Can you talk?"_

"I wonder how fast a Patronus actually travels? Is it faster than the speed of sound? It's not faster than light…" she trailed off, seeing the amused expression on his face.

"You know that no one thinks of these things besides you, right?" She laughed and punched him playfully in the arm.

"Oh hush." She saw a flash of silver and heard Harry's voice.

_"Yes, are you safe?" _She relayed his response to Draco and sent one back to Harry.

_"Yes, want to meet up to discuss plans?"_

_"Sure, shall we use the Deluminator?"_ He answered.

_"Yes, but first: what was Sirius's code name?"_ She wanted to be sure they weren't under duress and that they wouldn't be bringing any unwelcome guests with them. She hated to ask him about Sirius, but it was the first thing she could think of. After a moment his response came back.

_"Snuffles. Your turn: what Ron's owl's name?"_ She laughed at their silly question; it was sort of difficult to think of things for this though.

_"Pigwidegeon. See you in a moment." _She sent back.

"Alright, they'll be here in a few minutes. Can I ask you for a favor?" she asked, getting up from the hammock.

"You can ask… doesn't mean I'll do it." She glared at him, he shrugged and smirked .

"Will you make an effort to not antagonize them? I understand that you hate them and they hate you, but it'll be much easier to convince them that you've switch sides if you're being civil." He looked a bit grumpy so she continued, "The faster we convince them the faster we'll get this done. If they decide not to trust you they're not going to leave without me and you'll be stuck with them…"

"Oh fine. I'll play nicely." He crossed his arms and looked sour about it, but it was good enough for her. Maybe when they were forty or so they'll grow out of this silly rivalry.

Harry's stag was back _"Okay, say Ron's name and we'll be there soon."_ She started to open her mouth and thought she'd send one more thing first.

_"Let me remind you that Draco is with me and that he's saved my life. Please treat him accordingly. I will not tolerate hostility from anyone."_ There. She felt a bit like Mrs. Weasley giving orders like that, but if she had to cast a single Shield Charm today, there'd be hell to pay…

"Are you ready for them then?" She turned back to Draco. He harrumphed and crossed his arm. "Come on, don't be a grouch. Give us a kiss before they come." She giggled as his pout melted and he grinned at her and pulled her down to his lap. She sighed when his lips met hers. Would they have enough time that she could ever get tired of this feeling? She wondered if that would happen if they had an entire lifetime to spend. He pulled back and ended the kiss with a quick peck.

"Ugh, let's get this done. The sooner they get here the sooner they'll leave." He ran his hand down her side and she knew he wasn't as irritated as he was putting on. "So how will you get them here?"

"Well, I guess I can tell you the story while we wait for them. So, Dumbledore left each of the three of us something in his will." Draco's eyebrows shot up and she smiled and continued, "He left Ron something called a Deluminator, it's a device that he made himself. It removes lights from their sources when you click it, but it also helps you find a person that you're looking for."

"That's a little dangerous isn't? What if someone found it, they could find you with it, couldn't they?" He jumped up as he heard a noise off to their left; he watched with narrowed eyes, wand gripped tightly.

She turned to the sound and answered, "No, because you have to say their name for the Deluminator to work." She watched the trees, wanting to be sure that it was in fact Harry and Ron before she lowered their security to allow them entry to the tent. They listened nervously, wands gripped tightly as they listened to the sounds of people coming closer. She knew it was Harry and Ron, but it still made the hair on her neck stand up. Her shoulders relaxed a small amount as she saw her best friends come around some underbrush obviously looking for her. Relief flooded her as she took in their appearances, they were unhurt, their clothes were clean, they even looked as though they'd had haircuts…. Where the heck had they been? She reached out an arm to stop Draco from moving out of their protected circle to meet them. She waved her wand and closed the Muffliato spell, but keeping all the visual shields in place.

"Harry, Ron." She called to them, lifting her voice only slightly so hopefully it wouldn't carry too far.

"Hermione? Where are you?" Ron called to her. She did not lower her wand yet, on high alert for any trickery.

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A/N: Sorry to leave you right before the confrontation! Well, a little sorry. The next chapter will be coming soon, don't fret! As always, a million thanks to those of you who are reviewing!


	13. The Confrontation

A/N: Since y'all seem distressed that I cut off the last chapter before they met back up with Harry and Ron I took pity on you and decided to post earlier than I had planned. Be warned this means you'll have to wait a bit longer for the next chapter. Since this follows the same timeline as Deathly Hallows, it means that I have a big battle scene to write! Enjoy!

Also, Ron lovers... be warned: he's a bit of an ass here.

* * *

Believe of me what you will  
There is a duty that I'm sworn to do  
You know nothing of my life

"Stop. Stay where you are. Harry, what did I leave at the cemetery in Godric's Hollow?"

"A wreath of white roses, on my parents' grave." She sighed in relief and turned to Draco, a questioning eyebrow raised: was he satisfied at her security measures?

"If it's good enough for you, it's good enough for me." He answered, his face grim. "You don't want to check Weasley though?"

She shrugged, she knew that there was no way an imposter could make Harry believe he was Ron for any length of time but if it made Draco more comfortable it was fine with her.

"Ok Ron, erm… what did you see when you looked into the Mirror or Erised?" Wow, coming up with these questions was getting harder.

"I was Quidditch Captain." He rolled his eyes toward Harry, the one who had actually been made Captain and Harry shrugged sheepishly.

"Okay, come on." She changed the wards to allow Harry and Ron to see them and cross the boundary and recast the wards once they were across.

The four of them stood there for a moment, the boys all eyeing each other with mistrust. Oh, how she'd missed them.

She noticed that neither of them had lowered their wands. Harry turned his in her direction and said "sorry Hermione, but I've got to check." She nodded. "Quote my favorite movie." She thought for a second, deciding on a line, noting that Draco and Ron were very confused. She smirked at Harry.

"What is yer name?" she asked in a rough accent.

"I am Arthur, King of the Britains," Harry replied, trying not so smile.

"What is yer quest?" She was also fighting a losing battle with a smile; both of them loved this movie.

"I seek the Grail."

"What," she paused, giving in to her grin, "is the air-speed-velocity of an unladen swallow?" Draco and Ron were looking utterly perplexed.

"African or European?"

"Oh, I don't know that!" they burst into laughter and together imitated the sound of someone being thrown off of a bridge. It felt so good to laugh! They both turned to the men standing next to them and laughed even harder at the looks on their faces; they had absolutely no idea what they were on about. Hilarity taking over she turned to Harry "A five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut!"

"Supposing two swallows carried it together?" Harry wiped tears of laughter from his face. She watched as Ron and Draco share a questioning glaze, this was probably the first time they'd been on the same side of an issue in their entire lives.

"Are you two pissed?" Draco asked, he seemed torn between amusement and annoyance.

She quieted her laughter and straitened, "No, sorry. It's a muggle movie… we can watch it someday and you'll know why it's so funny." As she got her laughter under control she saw Harry turn his wand on Draco and she held her breath.

"Malfoy…" Harry frowned. "I…. cannot think of a single thing to ask you that isn't common knowledge." He looked to Ron for help but Ron's glare stayed aimed at Draco and he did not offer anything up.

"I reckon you'll just have to trust me, yeah?" Draco looked decidedly unconcerned. She decided to assuage Harry's concerns.

"It's him Harry.." she started to say, but Harry grinned and interrupted.

"What did Hermione call you right before she decked you in third year?"

"Oh bugger it. A foul, loathsome, evil, little cockroach." He rolled his eyes and reached out and tugged a lock of her hair. "I suppose I did deserve it." He sent her a small smile and she smiled back, rubbing her scalp… she stuck her tongue out for good measure and he winked back. She was glad the tension was diffusing and he wasn't being hateful. Her smile fell as she noticed the effect their interaction had on Ron.

"Are you…. Did….. are you two _flirting_?" He said the word flirting like it was the most abhorrent of sins.

Her face blushed crimson and she blustered "No!" at the same second as Draco said "Yes," and shrugged without any concern whatsoever. Oh Merlin, Ron's ears turned scarlet, he was about to blow up.

"Calm down Ronald, he's just trying to get a rise out of you. Successfully, I might add. Let's move on. You haven't even greeted me properly! Are you not glad to see me?" She tried to distract them with a touch of guilt.

Harry met her eyes and she closed the distance between them and threw herself into his arms. Before she knew it she was sobbing into his shoulder and all three men looked alarmed, Harry and Ron immediately cast furious glances at Draco, who ignored them.

"Hermione, what's wrong? What did he do?" Harry asked quietly, still eyeing Draco.

"N-nothing, I've just been so worried about you! It was so scary to be separated from you two and not know how you were doing!" She left Harry's arms to embrace Ron briefly; neither of them were particularly comfortable with the contact. She wiped her eyes and stepped back to stand next to Draco; it was a deliberate move- she wanted Harry and Ron to see that she trusted him. She let out a small laugh at their uncomfortable faces. "I'm sorry guys; I just didn't realize how much I missed you and worried about you until now." They shrugged, all a bit uncomfortable though Draco showed it less than any of them. She figured she was the only one who could see it, she imagine that to Harry and Ron he looked entirely unconcerned. She gestured them all into the tent.

She rubbed her hands over her face and took a deep breath to rein in her emotions. "Okay. So I think we need to talk about a couple of specific things before we get on to other topics. I want to talk about staying split up the way we were the last two weeks versus all staying together."

"Wait… you mean Malfoy's… not… what's Malfoy doing?" Harry asked, confused. She looked to Draco and he nodded his head at her and she took it as a go ahead for her to speak on his behalf.

"Draco has decided to switch sides. He wants to help us defeat You Know Who." Harry and Ron gaped. She watched with growing alarm as Ron's face got redder, his ears were practically steaming. This was a sure with of an impending temper tantrum.

"What the hell, Hermione? How thick could you get? You know he's a complete git!" He laughed bitterly, "What's he done to make you think he's a good guy now?" She felt as though he'd struck her, no one insulted her intelligence. No. One.

"Ronald, your hostility is unnecessary and unwelcome. I'm sure you did not just insult my intelligence." She glared at him until he had the decency to look ashamed. "I will tell you however, that Draco- on top of saving my life, which you already know he did- searched the manor for my wand and then _returned_ it to me, and he has allowed me to use Legillimency on him and I am fully confident in his desire to see You Know Who defeated. His reasons are his own until such a time as he decides to tell you. I hope you can be satisfied that in my opinion, Draco is a valuable ally and is trustworthy." She waited and watched them process this information. Ron opened and closed his mouth with no sound coming out. Harry glared back and forth between them as the importance of the fact that Draco let her read his mind sunk in. The fact that he had allowed that access and vulnerability still shocked her. She could see that Ron still wanted to argue. She knew that there was a deep seated hatred that thrived between these three. She had better try and nip it in the bud before Ron did something stupid. He was one of her best friends and she would hate to see Draco maim him. She may be a loyal friend but she was no dummy, Draco was the better wizard. Draco was watching Harry and Ron with a calm, unconcerned expression. At least he wasn't smirking or sneering.

"So, would you gentlemen like to waste time arguing about Draco's loyalties or will you take my word for it. Do you trust my opinions or am I not the brightest witch of our age?" She hated to throw that out there, but she didn't want to deal with the pissing contest that they were likely to get into if left to their own devices. They spent a few more humming seconds glaring at each other before Harry spoke up.

"If you believe him then we'll believe him. He saved your life and we can't ignore that." With that said he did something that shocked the other three: he reached his hand out to Malfoy and waited, meeting his gaze head on, for Malfoy to shake. When he did, Harry cleared his throat said, "Thank you, Malfoy. You took care of her when I didn't." Hermione felt her eyes tear up again. She was proud of Harry for swallowing his pride and offering his hand to Draco instead of being hostile like she knew Ron wanted to be. He'd grown up more than any of them. That's what happened when the future of the wizarding world rested on your shoulders she supposed.

"I didn't do it for you, but you're welcome." Draco said with a slight sneer. She knew he was still bothered that they had escaped the manor and left her crumpled on the floor. Of course, she had never told him that she'd made them promise to get away at all costs. She just happened to be that cost.

"Erm, well… thank you, Harry. Now that we've decided to behave like adults," she shot another glare at Ron and continued, "I want to suggest that we stay in pairs." She could see Harry frown and knew he wanted her to go with them. "If we're all four together we run into the same problem that we did before, there'll be no one outside of the group who knows what needs to be done. If we're captured there'd be no one left to continue the mission. If we work in two teams, if one is captured there will be two people left who know how to destroy him." She watched Harry, Ron wasn't much of a decision maker, being the more immature of the two.

"As much as I hate it, I see your point. How do we want to split the pairs then?" Harry grudgingly stated, but his question caught her off guard, was that really even up for discussion?

"Well, I'm going with Draco, obviously. Neither of you can be in his presence more than ten minutes without fighting." She waited for arguments. Sure enough, Ron obliged.

"I don't like it, Hermione. He's a bastard, and I don't trust him. We can't leave you alone with him. How do you know he won't try something?" She rolled her eyes and barely stopped herself telling Ron that Draco wouldn't _try_ anything because she was completely willing and he didn't have to put much effort into seducing her. She doubted that would go over well at all.

"You don't have to trust him. I'm the one depending on him, not you." She felt that putting her foot down was the best way to handle this. Ron was always argumentative and it took him ages to come around to anything that he disagreed with even if common sense said otherwise.

"Look Weasley," Draco stepped slightly in front of her to block her from Ron's glare and to cut him off as he opened his mouth to continue his rant. "I let Granger read my fucking mind; I gave her full access to all of my memories. All of them." He glared at Ron now. "What she saw is between the two of us, but I'd like to remind you that she is the brains of your little operation and unless you think you've suddenly become more intelligent than she is, I suggest you trust her decision to trust me." He shot a glare at Harry for good measure.

"We're not talking about how smart Hermione is, Malfoy. We're talking about what a prick you are! How are we supposed to be alright with Hermione being on her own with you?!" Ron had moved closer and was dangerously near to being in Draco's face. Draco glared down at him and answered immediately.

"How about because I _saved her fucking life_ when you two buggered off and left her half dead on the floor in a room full of Death Eaters and the Dark Lord on the doorstep!" Draco all but bellowed into Ron's face. She watched Ron's face lose its angry red color and he leaned away from Draco's wrath. "If I hadn't done anything, he'd have kept her alive only to kill her after he tortured every bit of information out of her he could. That or he'd have given her to the Death Eaters for their _amusement_ and let them kill her at their leisure. Do you have any idea the fate you abandoned her to? The fate that I saved her from? If she'd been _lucky_ he'd have killed her in a fit of rage immediately." All of them were pale and distressed. She put her hand on his arm, wanting him to back away from Ron before one of them threw a punch or something. He shrugged her off, but did step back to stand next to her.

"You seem to know a lot about how You Know Who operates, Malfoy." Ron sneered, trying to cover up his own discomfort.

"He's been living in my bloody house you prat! I've watched him do this for two goddamn years! And this is why I'm here! Do you think that was a walk in the park? You _are_ as stupid as you look, Weasley." With that parting shot, he stormed across the room and ran his hands through his hair. Hermione could tell he was trying to reign in his emotions. They were so rarely out of control that she knew he must be livid to have had an outburst like that. But Ron and Draco always brought out the worst in each other. She didn't know what to say to diffuse the situation. She knew that Harry and Ron would probably not come to trust Draco any time soon, and neither would Draco forgive them for leaving her. Finally Harry stepped up.

"Ron, he's right. We did leave her; there's no arguing that. We will owe him as long as we live for saving her from whatever hell the Death Eaters would've put her through. Let's acknowledge that and move on instead of bickering so we can get something accomplished, yeah?" He waited for Ron to nod his agreement. "Right. Ron and I will stick together and you and Malfoy will continue together." Ron looked outraged but kept quiet. Draco moved back to her side and they both nodded to Harry. And he continued. She was glad to see he was taking control of the situation and that his weird depression that revolved around the Hallows had lifted.

"Okay. Now that that's settled I think we should relay only the information that's necessary… in case one group is captured by Snatchers or Death Eaters. We don't want _all_ the information falling into the wrong hands. Agreed?" All three nodded back. She was glad, this was exactly the way she wanted it to go. Harry took a breath and continued, back into his role as leader. "Ron and I are staying with Bill and Fleur… I won't tell you where it is, just in case. It's under a Fidelius charm anyways."

"Bill and Fleur's?" She was happily surprised; maybe they could take Draco off of one hit list… "Then you can get word to the Order that Draco's switched sides?" She saw Harry's hesitation written clearly on his face. "Harry! I'm not asking. I want you to tell them that he's saved my life and has switched sides. As it stands, he'll be killed on sight by the Order _and_ the Death Eaters and I won't have it!" She stamped her foot and saw Draco smirk a bit.

"Alright, Hermione! Of course, I'll tell Bill and he'll spread the word." Harry looked uncomfortable, but he was too honorable to not pass the information along, he understood its importance. She cut her eyes over to Draco and spoke up.

"Also, I want you to pass to Bill that Mrs. Malfoy may be in need of protection. It's a long story, but she knew that I was at the manor and didn't turn me over to the Death Eaters. She also passed information to Draco that would help us escape."

He nodded and cleared his throat, "Alright Malfoy, if you'll step out, we've got some things to discuss with Hermione."

Draco just leaned a hip against the back of the couch where he was standing and crossed one ankle over the other, a posture what quite clearly said that he wasn't going anywhere.

"Harry, he can stay." She wasn't looking forward to the reaction she was about to get. "He knows everything." Both of their mouths dropped open and eyebrows disappeared underneath fringes.

"Everything? He knows about the…. You know whats?" Ron demanded.

"The horcruxes. Yes he knows everything." She looked pleadingly between Harry and Ron, waiting for the fury to break. She knew they felt she had broken their trust.

"You told him EVERYTHING?!" Harry bellowed. "How could you do that Hermione? We trusted you! Dumbledore only wanted the three of us to know!" His anger turned on Draco now; he raised his wand and pointed it directly in Draco's face. Hermione flung herself between them, wand raised in defense. "We're going to Obliviate him and take him to Bill, we'll find somewhere to keep where he can't do any harm. Move Hermione!" Draco just arched a brow at Harry, Hermione had her back fully pressed against Draco's front, hiding every inch of him that she could as Ron now had his wand raised as well. She cast a Shield charm so powerful Harry and Ron were pushed back a couple steps. Her rage making it all the stronger.

"No! Listen to me! If you do anything to him I will never forgive you!" She nearly screamed, she was furious. "It was an accident that he found out and if he was going to do something with the information he'd have done it before he went through the trouble to get us safely out of the manor! Stop and think about it for two bloody seconds!"

"He's a fucking Death Eater, Hermione! What are you thinking?!" Ron's face was livid once more. He took a deep breath and tried to speak in a reasoning voice, like she was a child pitching a fit about wanting a sweet. "Come on, Hermione, step away from Malfoy. We can't let him have this information. Don't make us force you out of the way."

"What? _Force_ me out of the way? What, are you going to _Stun_ me Ronald? Harry?" She looked at each one in turn, completely disbelieving the situation. Harry said nothing, looking uncomfortable. Ron, however, opened his mouth almost immediately.

"If we have to. Move. We have to Obliviate him and take him to Bill. Move away from him, Hermione, please."

She felt Draco's hand on her hip and his own shield charm erupted between the pairs, adding to hers. She was so angry she was near tears. He shifted her off of him so he could fully stand from his leaning position. He stepped to her side then pushed her behind him. She allowed it but kept her wand up and her shield charm active, she peeked around his right shoulder, her cheek pressed against it for comfort. He reached back and put his left hand on her hip ensuring that she stayed put, but he also gave her a squeeze. She reached down and wound her fingers through his and clung to him. Ron's words had really wounded her, would they really attempt to Stun her?

"Do not fuck with me, or her." Draco ground out slowly and deliberately. Every word dripping in fury, the knuckles clenched around his wand were white. "If you touch one hair on her head I will drop you where you stand, The Chosen One be damned. This woman is supposed to be your best friend and you just _threatened_ her? And you say I'm the bastard!" He had taken on the same deadly calm she had heard in Lucius' voice in Draco's memory. Malfoy men were dangerous when angered, there was no denying that. "If you think that I will let you harm her you are both out of your fucking minds. She told you to think for two seconds, let me add something for you to think about: that monster is raping my mother. Weasley. You have a mother, what would you do? Potter, I know that Weasley's mother is as close to a mother as you've got, what would you do if the Dark Lord was repeatedly raping her and trying to use her as a brood mare to continue his bloodline, hm? Would you stand idly by and allow it? Would you pass valuable information to him to _help_ him be victorious?" He paused a moment and Harry and Ron began to look uncomfortable, their wands slipped down a couple of inches, but they did not fully lower them. "I think not. You would do any and everything in your power to get the bastard away from your mother and make him pay for ever laying a hand on her. That's what I plan to do. If I have to throw my lot in with you two fucking morons, so be it. What'll it be? Are we going to duel right here and now, or are you two going to pull your heads out of your arses and realize that you've just threatened your best friend, a woman?" He stopped speaking and she watched the indecision play over their faces. A part of her mind recorded just how… _hot_ the way Draco was standing up for her was. She'd think about it later, she was too distraught at her treatment at the hands of her supposed best friends. After a moment Harry began looking ashamed and looking Hermione in the eye he lowered his wand. He tucked it into his back pocket and raised his hands to shoulder height, palms forward, showing no ill intent. Ron glared at him, but it was diluted by guilt. They both knew they'd crossed a line. Harry spoke up.

"Okay, head out of arse. We would never hurt you, Hermione. I'm sorry we lost it there for a minute. It's just overwhelming, being told to trust Malfoy. Malfoy… you're right, I don't actually have a mother, but Mrs. Weasley all but took me in when I was eleven and if anyone did anything to her, I'd skin them alive and roast them slowly over an open flame. We're not going to see eye to eye on much, but if Hermione trusts you, I will too." Harry met Draco's gaze for a moment and finally Draco nodded his acceptance. All eyes moved to Ron, whose wand was still pointed at Draco. His eyes flicked back and forth between the other three. He finally began to lower his hand, with an expression similar to looking like he was sucking on a lemon. Harry looked at him with something with akin to pity.

"Come on, Ron. Hermione doesn't deserve this… and," though he seemed to choke on the words, he said "and maybe Malfoy doesn't either." Ron grudgingly lowered his wand and Hermione dropped Draco's hand and stepped out next to him.

"Are you going to put your wand away, Ron?" She glared. She was still furious and hurt that he had threatened to Stun her and Obliviate Draco.

"I will when he does." She rolled her eyes at his childishness. She turned to Draco. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She nodded and he closed his Shield charm and put his wand in his back pocket. Ron looked surprised at Malfoy's quick cooperation and grudgingly put his wand in his own pocket.

"Alright, now that we're all behaving like adults, let's do what we came to, yeah?" Harry spoke up in the silence, still looking sheepish.

"Alright, what news?" Hermione asked, a bit coldly. Harry scratched the back of his head, cleared his throat and spoke.

"I think Ron and I have a lead on another horcrux. Did you notice how Bellatrix acted when she thought we'd been her vault?"

"Yes! Draco and I discussed it as well. We think there's one in Gringotts." She felt some of her anger fad to excitement at the prospect of resuming active work against You Know Who. She ignored how they winced each time she called him Draco instead of Malfoy.

"So do we. Do you remember who escaped with us from the manor?" He waited but she shrugged, she'd been nearly comatose then they'd gone. "Griphook." He supplied when she didn't answer.

"Griphook? …. What's he going to do?" Her mind was racing, but she saw no obvious answer.

"He's going to help us break into Gringotts and into the Lestrange's vault." Her mouth fell open in shock. She looked at Draco saw a sneer that clearly said he thought it was ludicrous.

"Are you serious? How is that possible?" This was one of the most absurd things she'd ever heard.

"We've been planning since the day after we escaped. I think we'll have the plans finalized in the next four to five days." She must've looked as worried as she felt because he continued, "We have to go, Hermione. I think the cup is there. We have to."

She swallowed and nodded. "Yes, you're right, of course. Draco and I've been talking, and we think that the Riddle House would be worth investigating." She watched Harry mull it over.

"Yeah, I agree. He hid the ring in the Gaunt House-his mother's house, so even though his father was a muggle, the house was where he killed him…" He thought another moment then nodded. "We're planning on infiltrating Gringotts on Friday or Saturday morning. I think you two should stake it out for a couple days, see if any one's coming or going and then search it at the same time as we're at Gringotts."

"Friday? What's today? I've got no idea…." She looked to Draco for help. He thought a moment.

"Tuesday, I believe." He responded and Harry nodded confirmation.

"Wow, that's really fast…. Friday. How do you feel about it? Does your plan have a good enough chance of success to make it worth the likelihood of being caught?"

"I think it's a risk we have to take." He responded, grimly.

She nodded, fear churning in her stomach. It had been such a break from reality, hiding out in Draco's study. She'd been able to put everything off to be dealt with in a vague distant future. All she had to worry about was escaping the manor, not what happened after that.

"Potter, let me ask you something." Draco stepped in with a question. "You are the chosen one, correct?" Harry hesitated, then nodded. "The likelihood of you getting out of Gringotts is slim to none. Maybe Weasley and I should go, if he and I are arrested or killed it won't be as detrimental to the cause. You and Hermione can go to the Riddle house." Everyone was quiet as they thought over Draco's words, Hermione agreed about Harry, but felt that she should go with him to Gringotts, she didn't want him to go without her. Before she could speak up and say she wanted to stay with him, Harry answered him.

"There's no way Griphook would accept an alteration to the plan at this point. We've been struggling to gain his trust for almost two weeks. It won't happen. It'll have to be Ron and me regardless of what might be a better idea." Draco shrugged and gestured for them to continue.

"Okay. Any other news?" She was dreading finding out about any other deaths, but surely Draco would've heard if there'd been any important raids…

"Unfortunately yes. He's got the Elder Wand." She didn't answer… was he still on about that? He continued before she could voice her opinion of the Deathly Hallows. "Olivander confirmed its existence. I know he's got it. Dumbledore won if from Grindlewald and You Know Who broke into Dumbledore's tomb and stole it." Her stomach sank: Mr. Ollivander confirmed it? Well, he would know, he had been making wands for decades, he'd know all about wandlore.

"It's real? And… he's got it?" This was a huge blow. If the most powerful wand in existence was out there and the most dangerous wizard alive had it… it did not bode well for their future.

"What's the elder wand?" Draco asked, trying to follow their conversation.

"I'll fill you in later, okay?" That was a long conversation that she didn't want to get into right now. She looked up at him, he nodded. "Well, there's no sugar coating it. That's a blow." She paced away, her mind spinning. They had to get these horcruxes destroyed as quickly as possible. He was only getting stronger. She turned back to the boys who were all watching and sighed. "Is there anything else we need to talk about?"

"I've got no more news, do you?" Harry asked.

"You got my Patronus about them looking for the Muggleborn register at Hogwarts and the other attack they talked about?"

"Yeah, I told Bill and he passed it along to everyone. McGonagall's supposed to be taking care of it. I guess we've got no way to stop the large scale attack, they still don't even know what they're going to do." He ran his hand through his already messy hair.

"Well, if we can get in contact with my mother she could tell us. She's at all the meetings. If she hasn't tried to run that is."

"About Narcissa…." she looked at Draco. She felt like she needed to let the order know about Voldemort's plan to produce an heir. He stared hard at her. She could tell by the gritting of his teeth that he was guessing what she was thinking. She wouldn't tell if he didn't want her to, so she stared silently up at him. Finally he looked away.

"The Dark Lord is trying to produce a child." Draco ground out. "He's trying to force my mother to bear that child. She may try to get away; perhaps to Andromeda if the Order will give her some protection, she wants to mend fences with her sister." She could tell he hated telling Harry this, but knew that if Harry said the word that Narcissa was to be left alone then she would be. He shook his head and stormed out of the tent without a backward glance. She looked helplessly at Ron and Harry's disgusted faces.

"It's true. Narcissa wants out. Away from You Know Who and I think from Lucius and Bellatrix. She's routinely beaten and …. raped." She felt a bit sick at the thought.

"Blimey." Ron muttered. "Well if we see her we should Avada her on the spot, I mean, she'll be pregnant with the spawn of You Know Who! I mean, her first kid was evil enough and this one's father is the most dangerous wizard of all time!" She rolled her eyes. Leave it to Ron to have no humanity left in him. She decided to ignore the slight on Draco for now.

"Really Ronald? You'd kill a woman because she conceived a child from a rape? That's lovely." Hermione glared at him. Harry shook his head at Ron and looked disgusted at the whole situation. "Well, just so you know, Draco slipped You Know Who a potion to make him sterile. He's unable to father a child but he doesn't know that. I'd like you to pass that along to Bill as well. That Draco took measures to ensure there's not a second generation of evil." She spoke quietly, she didn't really want Draco to overhear the discussion about his mother. "She's been forced to drink fertility potion for at least a week so Draco and I thought it would be smart for Lucius to, um, do the deed. Getting pregnant will buy her time because we're pretty sure it takes a few months before the fetus is old enough to perform the paternity test charm. We're hopeful that he won't feel the need to do that. If he thinks Narcissa is pregnant with his baby she'll be safe. But tell them that it's not You Know Who's baby, it's Lucius' so neither she nor the baby should be harmed."

"Alright, we'll pass that along as well. …Can you close your shield charm now, Hermione? I'd like to apologize properly." She had honestly forgotten she still had it up. She closed it and Harry closed the distance between them, taking one of her hands in his. "I'm sorry we let you think that we'd Stun you to Obliviate Malfoy. You know I'd cut off my own arm before I hurt you, right?" She looked into his sad green eyes and nodded. Harry would always put himself last. She turned from him as Ron approached her, her expression hardened a bit as he had been the worst offender.

"Hermione… I'm sorry. I wouldn't have Stunned you. You know that. Am I convinced that we shouldn't Obliviate Malfoy? No, not yet. But I'm working on trusting your opinion of him… that's the best I can do right now." She nodded.

"I don't want to fight with you two. Merlin only knows how this thing is going to end, I'd hate for something to happen and us have not made up." They nodded. "So we're alright then?"

"That's for you to say, Hermione, we're the ones who effed up." Harry gave her a hopeful smile. She gave him a small one in return.

"Alright, we're okay." Harry gave her a grateful smile and hugged her.

"I want to talk to Malfoy again and write down all the information he can give us, I don't want to miss anything." The four of them sat and down and rehashed every bit of information Draco could remember and Harry took dutiful notes.

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A/N: Alright, so I _may_ have gotten a bit silly with the whole Monty Python thing. But hey, it's my story. :)


	14. In My Life

A/N: The story just broke 100 follows and is thisclose to getting 10,000 views! It made my day so I decided to post another chapter. It's a short one, but a little juicy. I hope you enjoy it! :) As always, I love the reviews! I may not respond to all of them, but I do read every single one!

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In my life  
I'm no longer alone  
Now the love in my life  
Is so near  
Find me now, find me here!

When they had finished Harry and Ron said their goodbyes, and grudgingly- especially on Ron's part- thanked Draco again for Hermione's rescue and the inside information he was able to give. Hermione reset all their wards and she and Draco curled up together on the sofa, both exhausted from only sleeping a couple hours the night before. She leaned into his side and his arm came around her and he pulled her in close. She tipped her head back to rest on his shoulder and looked up into his face. He gazed down at her and she smiled up at him a little sadly.

"That was more difficult than I had anticipated." She cupped his cheek and pulled him down for a kiss. "Thank you for standing up for me." He kissed her again and pulled back to look at her.

"Thank _you_ for standing up for _me_. I wanted to hex the weasel into next week…" He frowned at the memory.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't. He's all talk really, he wouldn't have actually done anything to hurt me. On purpose, anyway." She saw his jaw muscles clench and wondered if he was still angry. She grazed her fingertips over the stubble that he still hadn't shaved away, enjoying its texture. Her hand found its way into his hair which was messy and almost wavy from missing his usual grooming routine. She liked it better natural looking like this, it made him look less like his father. "I like your hair like this. A little messy. And I like your stubble." He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Is that so?" He picked her up and settled her across his lap, straddling his hips. "How much do you like it?" He teased, but his eyes were darkening in a way that made her heart stumble in her chest.

"Enough." She slid closer, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and captured his lips in a heated kiss. She'd been slightly turned on ever since he stepped in front of her and gave Ron his coming-to-Jesus. He was a force to be reckoned with and the fact that he used that force in her defense made her a bit weak in the knees… as cliché as it was, it was true. He responded eagerly to her advances and kissed her back with enthusiasm. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her firmly up against him his other hand roaming up her leg and hip. Her brain disengaged and she let herself be swept away in the feelings and sensations he was evoking in her body and heart. She gave herself fully over to the experience. She captured his bottom lip between her teeth and he growled, swept her up into his arms and carried her into their bedroom. It was not lost on her: _their_ bedroom. He threw her unceremoniously onto the bed, she shrieked and giggled in surprise and scrambled up onto her elbows. He paused to pull his shirt off and her breath caught at the sight of his broad muscular chest and shoulders… his flat stomach. She felt as though the temperature in the room just rose by about ten degrees. She giggled again as he climbed onto the bed with the air of a predator stalking his prey. He crawled over top of her and took her lips in a kiss that she felt all the way to her toes. He lowered his body on top of hers and she gloried in his weight. She wrapped her legs around his waist and grinned into his kiss. Without warning she flipped them over so that she was straddling him.

"I was day dreaming about something today…" She smiled wickedly and he arched an eyebrow at her.

"Oh really? What was that, love?" He gripped them hem of her shirt and she allowed him to pull her shirt over her head and run his hands up her stomach. She ached for his touch and reached behind her and unfastened her bra and threw it away. His reared up and captured her mouth again as one of his hands went to her breast and lovingly caressed her in a way that robbed her of breath.

"Mmm, don't distract me; let me show you." She grinned suggestively at him and shoved him back flat onto the mattress.

"Oh, she wants to play?" He grinned back at her. She lay flat on top of him and kissed down his jaw, his chest, across the flat planes of his stomach, licking and tasting her way south. She looked up at him through her lashes and the lust on his face encouraged her to continue and turned her on as much as anything else had. But there was something besides lust in his eyes that made her pause for a second…. Maybe it wasn't love yet, but it was some kind of deep affection and it destroyed the nerves she'd been battling. Her smile went from suggestive and flirty to elated. She locked her eyes on his as she unbuttoned his jeans and slowly lowered the zipper. She tugged on them and he lifted his hips and helped her remove both his pants and boxer shorts. She felt a flush of nerves again and took a moment to lean down and kiss him to resurrect her courage before she moved on to fulfill her daydream from this afternoon. She kissed her way down his stomach again, licking here, biting softly there… she trailed her fingers across the ridges of muscles that were flexed as he kept his head raised to watch her progress. She took his hardened arousal in her hand marveled at its contradiction in textures… silky soft skin over steel hard flesh. She smiled again as his breath hitched at her touch. She tightened her grip and he groaned. She grazed her teeth across his hip bone as her hand explored his length. She tentatively traced her tongue across him and relished in the taste of the smooth, heated skin. She felt his hands gathering up her hair… she'd heard girls in the dorm talk about how guys liked to watch, apparently they were right. She gloried in his hoarse whisper of her name as she closed her lips around him and did her very best to please him. She learned from his breathing, roughly whispered words, and tugs on her hair what felt the best to him and, enjoying every second, brought him to ecstasy.

She was shocked at how …stimulating it was to please him. Her jaw ached a bit at the unfamiliar use and her tongue and bottom lip were almost numb, but she was on _fire_. She kissed her way back up his stomach as he regained his breath and before she cleared his bellybutton he flipped her over on to her back and roughly nipped and licked at her neck and collar bone.

"_That's_ what you day dreamed about today?!" He asked incredulously, she giggled and nodded in response. "And did it live up to your dreams?" He asked as he kissed his way down her chest. He teased her breasts with his lips and teeth, his hand skimmed down her stomach and she arched her back at his touch.

"Well, I think it's going to take some further study..." She winked down at him and he groaned out loud.

"Merlin, woman. It's official: I'm never letting you go." He continued his southward journey, lips trailing across her hip bone.

"Mmm, I hope not." Her smile turned to a gasp as his mouth lowered to her most sensitive area and all thought ceased for the next little while.

Draco lay awake that night, staring at the canvas ceiling of the tent. Hermione lay curled away from him, her back up against his side. Sleep was evading him and his thoughts were dark. What was he doing here? He had run away from home, abandoning his mother to the Dark Lord, abandoning his father, who would make him pay if he ever found him. He may already be disowned but being poor was the least of his worries: he was more than a runaway, he was a traitor. No one but Hermione and the Order knew the extent of his treachery, and he knew that he'd chosen the old cliché 'right thing to do', but it didn't sit comfortably. When the Death Eaters saw him fight with the Order he'd have a target on his back as bright as the one on Potter's. Would he be able to fight against them- his family? Really he didn't have a choice because Bellatrix would be aiming to kill, and his father… his father might also. He really had no idea what his father would do. There would be no pats on the back and 'well, you stood up for what you believe in, son. I'm proud of you.' Ha. Being raised as a pureblood he knew that you didn't do what you thought was right; you did what the head of the family told you to do. End of story. You didn't question it; you weren't even supposed to think about it. The weight of his actions and betrayal of his family had been gradually accumulating as he lay in the dark and it was becoming oppressive. He got up as quietly as possible to avoid waking Hermione and went into the living room to pace. How had it come to this? Abandoning his entire family and everyone he knew, choosing the side that would put him fighting _against_ his family- potentially maiming or killing them. His stomach turned at the thought of facing his father on the battlefield and suddenly he felt like a child in a man's game. Technically he was a man, he was of age, and war had made him older than his years, but the mental image of facing his father over drawn wands stripped him down to childhood. He could go back... He'd only been gone two days. He could go back and say he just got overwhelmed and took off to blow some steam before he returned to Hogwarts. He turned towards the bedroom and thought of the woman he'd left sleeping there. Could he possibly go back to the side that was trying to kill her and everyone like her? Could he really fight against the people trying to keep her safe? Could he fight for the side that was heading toward the destruction of the entire wizarding race? Would it be worth it to stay in his father's good graces and maybe, someday, make him proud? He tried to picture facing Hermione on the battlefield and grimaced. That would be worse than facing his father. He could picture the disappointment on her face at the betrayal of whatever feelings they'd developed for each other over the past two weeks. Had it really only been two weeks? He knew he could never do that to her. Throughout this entire internal debate he'd known, deep down, that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he went back to his family, and by extension- the Dark Lord. And if he continued being honest with himself, he could acknowledge the feeling of near euphoria he'd experienced when he finally decided on this course of action. When he had told Hermione they were leaving and that he was joining her, he felt a relief like nothing he'd ever felt before. The release of his service to the Dark Lord had left him feeling almost giddy… which was a strange feeling, and he wasn't sure he liked it. Sighing, he paced to the entrance to the tent and stared out into the darkened forest, listening to the sounds of the night creatures going about their business. The child in him mourned losing the chance to make his father proud, but the man in him knew that his father would never be proud, no matter how he strove to please him. The child in him also worried about what would happen if he encountered his father during a skirmish or battle. He would just have to hope that someone else got to his father before he did, and hope that they never learned just how deep his betrayal ran because they would show no mercy… and fighting people who have no mercy takes more than Stunning spells. He didn't want his family's deaths on his hands… he didn't want _any_ deaths on his hands for that matter. He turned back into the tent, growing chilly in the night air coming in through the flap. Was he choosing Hermione over his family? Sort of. She wasn't the entire reason he'd left the Dark Lord… he'd been pondering his position in the war for months, but she was the catalyst for his action that was for sure. He was annoyed to think that her Gryffindor ways might be rubbing off on him, but he would not allow her to be hurt if it was in his power to stop it. He'd done it once, out if necessity, but now he had decided his true allegiance and it was with Hermione and against Voldemort. Thank Merlin that his mother would never see the battlefield, which would have made his decision to stay with Hermione much more difficult. He hoped that his father had been able to get to her and that Voldy would soon believe her to be pregnant with his- Voldemort's- child, she would be protected from everyone. Feeling slightly better now that he had addressed his lingering doubts about having left his family he returned to the bedroom, sliding under the covers and cuddling up to the woman that had come to mean so much to him. He slipped his arm around her waist and gently pulled her in close. He kissed her shoulder and had just settled his head on the pillow when she spoke softly.

"What did you decide?" He sighed at her soft words. Of course she had known what had been on his mind: that he had briefly considered going back. How they were so in tune with each other was beyond him, it amazed him, but didn't bother him.

"I decided two weeks ago. I just had to settle some doubts." He squeezed her closer. "I choose you, Hermione. I always will." She sighed and he kissed her ear. "Go back to sleep, love. I'm sorry I woke you."

Close to dawn that night Hermione was having an amazing dream. She wasn't sure what was going on but it was very warm, hot in fact. Was she lying in the sun? She bit back a moan as she registered the tension of arousal coursing through her. Her eyes flickered open as she heard an answering moan right in her ear. As the sleep cleared from her mind he realized that she was nestled back against Draco and his breath was hot against her neck, as were his lips. She then realized that Draco's lips were not all that all that was touching her: one of his hands was very busy between her thighs. She arched her back and moved against him as two of his fingers dipped in to caress her intimately. She turned her head and reached back to pull his mouth to hers and kissed him passionately until she had to tear her mouth away to draw a deep breath. She let out a small cry of distress as suddenly his hand was gone and she felt him shift behind her and realized that he was getting his pajama pants out of the way. She rolled over and reached for him, all thoughts of sleep forgotten. He crushed her into the mattress and kissed her roughly and possessively. She lifted her hips to meet his and he answered the unspoken demand and plunged in to her, they both moaned at the sensation.

"Feels so good…" He muttered against her neck and she made some sound of agreement… she wasn't sure what it was exactly. Hermione Granger couldn't form a coherent thought: a first. He moved more aggressively than he had the night before and her breath sobbed out and her nails scored down his back as she clung to him. He pushed himself up to look down at her, and their eyes locked. He leaned back on his knees and pushed hers up towards her shoulders. The sensation was nothing she had experienced before and she wasn't able to stop the moan that tore out of her throat: everything seemed to intensify tenfold. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and she rolled her hips up to meet his, amazed at the way he made her body feel, amazed that his force didn't hurt, it was the opposite; it felt amazing. He ran his hands down her sides to grip her hips, pulling her up to meet his movements. She opened her eyes to see that he was staring intently at her. She breathed his name quietly and smiled up at him.

She watched him move with her, marveling at the flex and play of his muscles as he thrust his hips. He looked so good she couldn't help but reach out and run her hand down his chest and stomach. He smiled and slowed his pace and the mood turned from feverish to sweet and he loved her slowly and thoroughly until they collapsed into each other, sated. He nuzzled her throat and she held him close. Her body felt loose and relaxed she turned to kiss his cheek and sighed in contentment. It seemed as though every passing moment she cared for him a little bit more. She pulled his head off of her shoulder and he looked down at her with sleepy eyes. She smiled up at him and pressed another kiss to his lips. He nuzzled her throat again and dragged her over when he rolled onto his back with her head on his chest. They slept the remaining hours until morning.

Draco woke up a few hours after their early morning escapade, once again drowning in Hermione's hair. Maybe someday he would get used to it. If he didn't love running his hands through it so much he would make her braid it before they came to bed so that he wouldn't wake up half suffocated in the mornings. He looked down at the witch that belonged to all the hair and gazed at the peaceful expression on her face. She was on her stomach, head turned towards him with her arms and legs splayed out taking up more of the bed than he'd have thought possible. He smirked at her sleeping form and brushed some hair off of her face so that he could see her better. He had to admit, he had never met anyone like her. She had been amazing last night when Potty had wanted to Obliviate him. No one had ever stood up for him like that before. His mother had never been able to brazenly step in and protect him, all her protection had to be worked behind closed doors, like the Unbreakable Vow she convinced Severus to make. But Hermione had literally thrown herself between him and her two best friends. She had stood up to two of the most important people in her life on his behalf. He still wasn't sure what to make of it, but he was in awe of her. He watched her sleep for a few minutes, wondering why she thought he was worth it.

"I love you, Hermione." He whispered to her sleeping form.


	15. Little People

A/N: Hello my lovelies! Here's another chapter for your reading pleasure (I hope.) I need y'all go do some reviewing and commenting because I'm totally stuck on the part I'm working on right now. Send me some inspiration!

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Take the bastard now and shoot him!  
Let us watch the devil dance,  
You'd have done the same Inspector  
If we'd let you have your chance!

After Hermione awoke they ate a mostly silent breakfast- neither of them were particularly loquacious in the mornings, and packed up their belongings to move on. Hermione Apparated them to yet another forest where she and Harry had camped a few months before. She remembered that it had been a quiet and peaceful place, they'd stayed for several days it was so lovely.

The tent in place and the hammock hung in a sunny spot nearby; they found themselves sitting shoulder to shoulder on a large flat rock above a stream running serenely by their campsite. Draco suddenly turned to Hermione.

"So what's the deal with the Sword of Gryffindor? What do you need it for?"

"Oh, I thought I told you this already; it's how we've been killing the horcruxes." He looked puzzled so she shifted into teacher mode and continued. "In order to destroy a horcrux you must destroy the object beyond magical repair."

"But it's just a sword… it would repair itself if it were just cut or stabbed."

"Yes, but Harry stabbed the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets with it. He stabbed in the head, apparently through a venom gland." She was prepared to let him think it out for a moment but he responded almost immediately.

"Ah. It's goblin-made." He nodded to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "That's awfully convenient, it being impregnated with something that has only one known antidote! Now I understand why you were worried about it." She was thinking about how nice it was to have someone who didn't need everything spelled out for them to understand when their peaceful morning was interrupted by a shout of laughter on the other side of the stream.

In the space of a single heartbeat they both had their wands drawn and stood slowly; facing the direction of the sound and backing stealthily into the wards around their tent. She was silently cursing herself for going past them. The sound of the water had been so inviting and that rock had just beckoned her to come sit in the sun and think about things, why didn't she just cast new wards around the rock? Stupid!

They were only a few paces from the edge of their security spells when they began to hear multiple voices, men, bickering. The glanced at each other and without any discussion they turned and sprinted the last few yards until they were past the magical barrier. As soon as they crossed they whipped back around to face the as yet unknown threat. She glanced at Draco out of the corner of her eye; his jaw was set, his eyes angry but the hand holding his wand was perfectly steady.

"Maybe it's muggles…" She whispered. She knew they wouldn't be able to hear her speak because of Muffliato, but she couldn't help but whisper.

"Could be." He responded, allowing the chance, but sounding doubtful all the same. They listened as the owners of the voices came closer and their words became discernible over the sound of the water.

"…some more mudbloods and score some gold, I've got a goblin back home breathing down my neck." She looked at Draco and their faces turned even more grim. Snatchers. Hopefully this lot would be as dumb as the rest of them had proven to be. Although, dumb as they were they'd managed to capture Harry Potter a couple of weeks ago… fear churned in her stomach.

"Yeah well, most of the truant kids have been rounded up already and the adult mudbloods that haven't been caught yet are too smart to be caught now. They're hiding and hiding well." The group of three men came to the bank and stared morosely at the water. They looked to the one in the center, seemingly hopeful they weren't going to have to wade through. A small, scrawny man started whining.

"Why are we stumbling around the bleeding woods like muggles? Let's go down to Bree and get a room at the Prancing Pony. I could do for a pint and a bounce." She blanched at the crude man. Her mind was racing, what to do with them? Stay hidden and quiet and hope they went on their way?

Suddenly Draco, who had also been thinking the same thing whispered, "Silent body-bind curses. I want to question them. Okay?" She nodded. "On three. One, two, three." She smiled grimly as all three went down before they could even think about drawing their wands. They listened quietly to be sure they could hear no other men in the woods. After a few moments of silence, Draco levitated them over to the rock where they'd been sitting when they'd first her the men approaching.

They walked past the wards and the men's eyes, the only body part they had control over, shot over to them.

"_Accio wands_!" Hermione commanded and three wands shot out of dirty cloaks and into her outstretched hand. "I don't recognize them, do you?"

"I do, but I don't know their names." He circled them slowly and he looked more dangerous than she'd ever seen him. He came to the one who had appeared to be the leader and stared down into his eyes. He leaned down and whispered "_Legilimens_!" She stood nervously as the minutes dragged by in silence. Draco's stoney countenance didn't change at all. Finally he stood and turned back to her.

"He doesn't seem to know anything of importance. Word isn't out that I'm missing; he knows no plans of any immediate attacks, or anything about Potter. He does have the mark though, they all do." He looked back down at the three men on the ground. "What should we do with them?"

"You Know Who would break through a memory charm if he decided to look. Are they important enough for him to look into their minds?" She was dreading whatever was coming. She knew this was war but she didn't want to see Draco kill them, she hoped that didn't happen. He thought for a moment.

"Anything's possible. I want to Obliviate them and keep their wands. By the time they figure out a way to get back to report in they'll have no way of knowing where we are. It should take them several days." He looked back up at her. "Are you okay?" She nodded. He studied her for a moment then his cold expression melted and he walked over to press a kiss to her forehead. "This is war, love. We can't just pat them on the head and send them home. We're almost finished with our mission, only one more to locate and then all hell will break loose because we'll have to go for him. It's inevitable and probably fast approaching. If we take their wands and strand them in way out here, they probably won't make it back in time to fight. We're eliminating their fighters without having to kill them." He looked back down at them. "They'd kill us if it were the reversed." She experience a bit of déjà vu back to the scene in that diner so long ago. "But I'd rather put off killing anyone until it's absolutely."

She nodded, thankful that was his decision.

"You go pack up the tent, love. I'll take out the trash." He kissed her forehead again and turned to the first man. She scurried back to the camp and packed everything quickly and easily with a few swipes of her wand. She met Draco back at the river bank with her beaded bag as he was standing up from the last man.

"_Finite incantatem, Stupefy_!" He said calmly, with no inflection. The man had barely started to move from the body bind curse being lifted, when he fell completely unconscious from the Stunner.

"Why'd you lift the body bind only to stun him?"

"Cause the Stunner will wear off in a few hours, the body bind won't. I wiped their memories for the last couple years and made them think they were participating in a project to live off the land for six months." He explained. Her mouth fell open and she started laughing. Death Eaters living off the land as muggles. Perfect. He chuckled along with her and Stunned the last two.

"Ready, love?" He held his hand out to her.

"Almost," she pulled a black wand out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"Ah, now we've each got a backup wand." He slid it inside his left sleeve and out of sight, just as she had done. "That'll come in handy that will."

"Hopefully it won't come down to that… but it likely will." She closed their security spells and clasped his hand. "To another forest then?" He rolled his eyes and nodded. They gave one last look at the three wizards they left lying on the river bank and turned on the spot.

After the brief, uncomfortable feeling of compression they appeared in a copse of trees in a different forest. This one was mostly beeches and sycamores and the pale back of the two trees gave it a ghostly feel.

"Why can't we hide out in the South of France or something?" Draco stared around balefully at the woods. She laughed at him, just a little bit.

"We'll go after we defeat you know who, how's that?" He turned back and stared at her intently as she Summoned the tent out of her bag and waved her wand to assemble it.

"Really?" He asked quietly. She turned to look at him.

"Really what?" She thought back over what they'd been talking about. "Really go to the South of France?" He huffed out a frustrated breath.

"Yes, woman, it was only ten seconds ago. Do you really want to go on holiday with me after this is done?" He asked, the expression on his face very serious, so she didn't question whether he was or not, even though that was her first thought. Did he really want to travel with her? This was the first time either of them mentioned a future other than dying in battle.

"Draco," She moved to him and rose to her tip toes to kiss him softly. She smiled up at him, "If we make it out of this mess I would love to take a holiday with you." She still had the feeling that they were unlikely to actually survive, but it was nice to think she'd have something lovely waiting for her on the other side if they did. She ran her hands through her hair; her adrenaline caused by the snatchers was running out. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head into his chest when he hugged her back. She needed some reassurance. "What are the chances that they stumbled across us randomly?" She asked into his chest. She felt him sigh and lower his chin to the top of her head.

"From listening to them and what I saw in his mind it didn't seem like they were looking for anything or anyone in particular, just wandering." He squeezed her a little tighter. "I think we handled it okay though."

"Yeah. I think so, too. I didn't want to kill them. Even if they'd have done us if it were the other way 'round." He didn't say anything, he knew she was right.

"When do you want to start staking out the Riddle House? Maybe head over there tomorrow morning?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yes, I suppose so." She pulled out of his embrace and smiled sadly up at him. When he cocked his head, questioning her sad expression she said, "I just… I'm tired of war." His lips pressed into a thin line.

"You and me both, love. You and me both."

Narcissa Malfoy paced the familiar track through her bedroom into her private parlor and back again, the hem of her silk dressing gown whispering across the carpet. It had been three days since Lucius had snuck into her chambers. It had been three days since her son had told her he had poisoned the Dark Lord that would forbid him from having a child. Her sweet, brave Draco. Somehow, she had managed to raise an amazing young man. His father used to be so wonderful. But greed and power had turned him into someone she didn't know. It had been three days since her son had escaped the manor. Only she and Lucius were aware of it so far. If she was not pregnant when the news of Draco's disappearance surfaced… she shuddered at the thought of the consequences.

Enough time had passed since she had been with Lucius that she could perform the spell, but she was afraid. Afraid that she wasn't pregnant and the Dark Lord would be angry. Afraid that she _was_ pregnant and Lucius would neglect another child. Afraid that she would have to bring up another child under this tyranny and oppression.

Gathering her courage, she undid the sash of her dressing gown and opening it pointed her wand at her stomach and whispered "_Gravida revelio_." She closed her eyes and counted the twenty seconds it took for the spell to read her body. She was afraid to open her eyes, but she took a deep breath and did. She looked down and a golden glow filled her vision. She stared down numbly until the spell wore off and the glow began to fade. She stared until she realized that her vision was blurred with tears. A baby. An unnamed emotion was coursing through her and she allowed herself a moment to acknowledge the part of her that had yearned for another child. Having conceived and given birth to Draco at nineteen, she'd wanted another child when Draco was young, but Lucius had already been too deep into the Dark Lord's service and she did her best to keep herself and her son away from his influence. Judging from Draco's recent actions maybe it hadn't been in vain. Lucius was still in deep, likely irretrievably deep, but like it or not this was the second baby she'd always wanted.

She dressed quietly and calmly, hid the signs of her tears and prepared herself to tell Voldemort the news. She smiled internally as she walked through the halls to the wing he was using while at the manor. Her Draco. She had nearly fallen off of her chair when he told her of the poison he'd given the Dark Lord. The news had made her afraid though, knowing the price of failing the Dark Lord in this… endeavor, for lack of a better word. But Draco had had the answer to that as well. The changes in him that had taken place in the last month made her so proud. So brave. So noble. The solution he'd come up with had been simple yet perfect. She'd spent some time after their conversation in the library and found the paternity test spell in a charms book. He had been correct in his assumption that it couldn't be administered immediately. The spell was powerful and so much magic was unsafe to use on a fetus until twenty weeks into the pregnancy. So she had time to plan and prepare that in the event that twenty weeks came and the Dark Lord was still in power she would be able to get away safely and save her life, her child's and if Lucius would come, his life as well. She hadn't been sorted into Slytherin for nothing: she almost always had a plan.

She cleared her mind as she approached the Dark Lord's chambers, all incriminating memories and thoughts stored behind carefully constructed and camouflaged walls and barriers. She'd been a proficient Occlumens since her teens; it took very little effort these days.

Walking calmly to the door, she knocked and waited for permission to enter. After a moment a stone-faced Severus opened the door. He quirked a questioning eyebrow.

"Severus," was the only greeting she gave. She always made it a practice to treat every on she encountered, especially around the Voldemort, with a detached coolness. It kept her largely unnoticed in everyday happenings.

"Narcissa." He inclined his head. They never spoke of the night she'd rushed, frantic, to his home at Spinner's End when they made the Unbreakable Vow for Draco.

"If the Dark Lord is available, I would speak with him." She watched stoically as Snape turned away from the door and told Voldemort that she had come. He stood back and she entered the room, her eyes falling on the face she loathed with all her heart. Locking that away she bowed her head as she approached him.

"My Lord, I have news. I would speak with you alone if it pleases you." The last thing she wanted was an audience, even if it was just Snape.

"Severus can stay. What is your news, Narcissa?" She kept her head bowed in deference she spoke.

"My Lord, I am with child." She heard two intakes of breath, one behind her from Severus and one in front of her from Voldemort.

"You are sure, my pet?" He stepped closer and with a finger under her chin, tilted her head up to look into her eyes.

"Yes, my Lord. I have just performed the spell, about fifteen minutes ago. I dressed and came immediately to tell you."

"Open your robes. I will perform the spell myself; I want to see the proof." With steady hands she drew apart the front of her robes to expose her still flat stomach. He stared into her eyes for a moment and his gaze dropped to her bare skin. "A spell I have never performed before. A rare occurrence. It is _Gravida revelio_, is it not, Severus?"

"I believe so, my Lord." He answered after a brief hesitation. "Though have I never used it, I believe that to be the correct incantation." It was almost amusing that these two incredibly powerful wizards seemed uncomfortable with this _woman's_ magic as she was sure they saw it.

"Narcissa, is this the correct spell?"

"Yes, my Lord, but cast it gently; your magic is so strong it could harm him. And so you are prepared: because the pregnancy is so young, it will take roughly twenty seconds before the results appear. Pregnancy is confirmed with a golden light." He studied her for a moment more and pointed his wand at her belly.

"_Gravida revelio_!" He whispered and her abdomen warmed slightly. She focused her gaze on his left shoulder as he waited, unmoving. When she saw the glow in her peripheral vision, she turned her gaze to his face and saw a malevolent type of joy. It was nowhere close to the expression of joy a man should show when told he was going to be a father, but the wicked excitement of a tyrant who has secured a predecessor to continue his legacy of corrupt, dominating power, or a dictator who has found someone of equal cruelty to rule beside him. He stared until the glow began to fade. As his gaze lifted to her face she told herself to smile, even a small, sedate one, to hide the fact that the idea of being impregnated by him horrified her. Her smile may have been too little too late.

"Are you not happy, Narcissa?" He asked quietly, dangerously.

"I am, my Lord, forgive me. I am still somewhat stunned and the magnitude of this news has not yet settled in my heart. I will have no greater honor in this life than to bear and raise your son." She bowed her head again and clasped her hands over her stomach. Her speech and demeanor displayed her perfect pureblood upbringing, part of the reason she had been chosen in the first place.

"Very well, Narcissa. You will be elevated above all my followers for this service. Return to your chambers now, and I shall send a healer to be sure you've everything you need." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand and she was relieved that he did not touch her. If ever he fell, she would have Draco perform a memory modification so she would never have to remember the nights she'd had to spend with him. She had to keep them for now in case he decided to look into her mind and while they were there, they would haunt her endlessly.

On her return trip to her chambers her thoughts centered again on Draco. She couldn't help the pride that swirled up inside her. She had not expected Draco's actions on the night Potter and the girl and the Weasley boy had been brought to the manor. She knew who they were, so of course Draco had known. Even that small act of rebellion against the Dark Lord had warmed her heart, but she'd been unsure when he watched Bella Crucio the girl with no expression on his face. Of course she had also watched without showing any feeling, but she thought that as young as he was he wouldn't be able to stand and calmly watch a classmate, and a girl at that, be tortured at his feet. She had underestimated his ability to put on the mask their position required and underestimated his ability to feel. She had been convinced that he was turning into his father. But then all hell had broken loose and her eyes were trained on him the entire time. She saw that his eyes almost never left the girl. When Potter and the others had Disapparated and the remaining people in the room had scrambled to get out before the Dark Lord came she had watched him rush to the girl's side, scoop her up, turn and disappear. The instant he was gone Voldemort had burst into the room and all of them had been thrown to the floor with curses flying from his wand. As she lay recovering in her bed the next day all she could think about was the fact that her son, her precious Draco, had saved the muggleborn's life. She had been able to rest and recover easily because of this proof that somehow, surrounded by hate and prejudice, she had managed to raise a son who had put his life on the line to rescue the very embodiment of what everyone else told him to hate.

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What do you think: Lucius Malfoy: redeemable or baddie all the way?


	16. Castle on a Cloud

A/N: Alright y'all. I've been trying to write the chapter after this for over two weeks now, I know where I'm taking the story I just can't get around this one damn scene! So please, send me some inspiration! Review and tell me what you think about any part of the story or characters... pretty please with sugar on top?  
Also, there was a miniscule LOTR reference in the last chapter... but perhaps too miniscule because no one noticed... haha, oh well. :) As always, thanks for reading!

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The afternoon following their short adventure with the snatchers found them in the hammock again, watching dark clouds broil in the sky to the west.

"Do you want to talk about tomorrow and the Riddle House or avoid it for a bit?" Draco asked looking across the hammock at her. They were opposite each other; she was settled between his outstretched legs with her knees bent and settled over his hips with her feet tucked underneath his sides.

She closed her eyes and sighed. "Oh, let's avoid it for a while. I have a feeling the shit's gonna hit the fan when Harry goes to Gringotts in a couple days, so let's take a few hours of peace, yeah?"

"I beg your pardon? The shit will hit the fan? What fan? The little folding thing you ladies carry around and hide behind in the summer? Why would it get hit with shit? Is someone throwing the shit? Whose shit is it?"

"It's… oh, nevermind!" She laughed out loud. "It's a muggle expression… they have mechanical fans with blades run by electricity that spin really fast… so if shit got thrown on one while spinning it would fly everywhere."

"I repeat: why would it get hit with shit?" He didn't understand, but couldn't care less about the answer he just wanted to watch her get flustered.

"I… I have no idea." She glared at him good-humoredly.

"What? Hermione Granger, Queen of All Knowledge, doesn't know an answer? What world is this?" He laughed at her expression and pulled her leg up onto his chest to squeeze it playfully. "Do you know what's just occurred to me Miss Granger?"

"I'm afraid to ask." She rolled her eyes.

"Ha-ha. I was just thinking that we've spent nearly every moment of every day together for about two weeks now. Do you realize that in that time we haven't had a single argument?" He was really amazed, seeing as they hadn't really had a civilized conversation… well, _ever_ up until she was at the manor. She pursed her lips in thought.

"No, I don't suppose we have. A bit strange don't you think? I can't even be around Harry or my parents for that much time without griping about something." They were both quiet for some time. Why was it that he and this witch hadn't exchanged a single cross word in all this time they'd been in each other's company? Surely that wasn't normal. He decided to just go with it.

"Well, I'm not fussed about it. I rather enjoy pleasant conversation to the incessant bickering we used to exchange." He watched her smile at his words and didn't stop his own smile from forming. He was trying hard to stop wearing the mask he'd worn his whole life. She didn't leave him guessing what she was thinking or feeling so he would try and extend the same courtesy. He even admitted to himself that he liked this better. Laughing, smiling, and flirting with her.

"Very true. I have no desire to fight with you." She responded. Both their gazes went to the sky as distant thunder rumbled. "Looks like rain soon." Sure enough, large fat drops began falling. Damn. He'd been enjoying lying in the hammock with her. He didn't feel like being cooped up in the tent. As the rain got heavier and he was just about to get up she did a complicated little wave of her wand and made a small shield that protected them from the rain. It extended about 5 feet out from each side of the hammock and was about ten feet tall. It looked as though there was an invisible bubble surrounding them, deflecting the rain. He nodded in approval. She sighed and laid her head back and stared at the sky. They sat in silence for several minutes.

"Knut for your thoughts." He murmured. She was always thinking something, and it was nearly always interesting.

She smiled again, "Just thinking that I love rain. And thunderstorms. I love to sit outside and just watch it rain." She looked up and shrugged her shoulders and smiled a little sheepishly, her cheeks tinged pink.

"Why are you embarrassed to tell me that?"

"I dunno… it just seems a bit silly. We're in the middle of a war and here I'm babbling about the rain."

"You aren't babbling; we can't talk about the war all the time or we'd go mad. I know what you mean about the rain though. It's… I'm not sure how to explain it." He too laid his head back to watch the rain come down. It was interesting to watch it fall straight down at him; it wasn't an angle you usually enjoyed rain from.

"It's a power that we can't harness. It's how the earth cleanses itself. It's elemental; you know some muggle scientists speculate that all life originated in the oceans. Maybe it's something in our basic nature that draws us to water." She mused out loud.

"Getting a little deep for me, Granger. I was thinking more simple: relaxing, soothing, it smells good." He settled back and watched the interesting patterns the rain made coursing down the shield she'd put up. They were in their own little bubble. The scent of the rain filtered through though. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, listening to the pouring rain. When he was at the manor he always opened his windows during storms to listen to the rain, he would sleep on the sofa in his study. At Hogwarts he didn't have that luxury because the Slytherin common room and dorms were in the dungeons. He was getting drowsy, rain was really good sleeping weather. A few more minutes and he'd be out.

He ran his hands up her calf on the leg he was still holding on his chest, just for the sake of touching her. He'd never been a 'cuddler' before, but maybe it was just because he'd pretty much detested the girls he'd been with prior to Hermione. There were several in his year, and a few younger, who tried to capture his attention and a few of them he'd allowed to catch him- he was a horny teenager after all. But he'd never felt anything for them because they didn't care about him either, all they cared about was his last name and the fact that he was set to inherit one of the biggest fortunes in the wizarding world. Hermione could care less about any money that he may or may not have. He leaned forward and hauled her up so that she was lying on top of him. She smiled down at him and he grinned up at her before pulling her down for a kiss, savoring the feel of her. They were lost in their own little world, surrounded by a thunderstorm in the middle of the woods. He kissed her slowly, languidly, and thoroughly, running one hand up her back and cupping her cheek in the other. He pulled back and looked up into her heavy-lidded eyes. He brought his other hand to her face and caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. He pondered her for a moment and not wanting to regret a missed opportunity, he whispered, "I love you."

Narcissa was pacing the familiar track through her bedroom to her sitting room and back again. Yesterday's visit with the Dark Lord had gone better than she had hoped. The healer had come and given her the necessary prenatal potions, all the check-up spells she had performed came back fine. Now all Narcissa had to do was to keep her head down and stay out of the way. She knew that the Dark Lord would forbid anyone to harm her, but she was not looking forward to Bella's reaction. She knew Bella wanted Voldemort's love and attention and to know what her sister was carrying his child would not go over well at all. There was nothing she could do to change Bella's mind or make it any easier for her. Narcissa was under no delusions about her sister: she was mad as a hatter.

A knock on her door disturbed her musings. Walking toward the door she sensed Lucius's magic on the other side and rested her forehead on the cool wood for a moment to gather herself. Good, bad, or indifferent, he was her soul mate. They were bonded for life. She had adored him when she was younger. She loved him still, but with a layer of cynicism over top that eliminated any real affection. Part of her still longed for him to rediscover the feelings he'd had for her in their youth, he'd loved her just as madly as she him. She sighed and pulled open the door.

"Cissa," he greeted. She opened the door to let him in and closing it behind him, added an extra silencing charm. He took both of her hands in his. "I've heard from the Dark Lord that you are with child. She nodded. "I'd hoped you would tell me yourself." She looked up at his face, he wasn't angry… he sounded… offended?

"You know it had to be done this way." She kept her eyes on him. The part of her that was still that young woman in love yearned for him. He sighed.

"You're right. It's going to be bloody sickening listening to him go on about impregnating my wife." He shook his head. "It's the safest option right now. It's not like I've got much of my pride left anyway." He still held her hands and he studied her face intently. She didn't know what he was looking for. "Are you well, Cissa?"

"I am. I… I worry for our son though. I wish I knew that he was alright." At this he dropped her hands and took up her pacing.

"I still can't believe he left. And you say he saved the mudblood girl? She was here the _entire time_?" He asked incredulously. She nodded. "That insolent little-"his words were interrupted by the resounding crack of her palm across his cheek. They stared at each other in astonishment, never in their nearly nineteen years of marriage had either of them raised their hand to the other.

"Lucius Abraxus Malfoy! You will not speak against Draco like that. Somehow we managed to raise a son who is standing up for what he believes in despite incredible opposition! We raised a son who would not stand by and watch his aunt torture a girl, barely eighteen, at his feet! Did you _see_ her? She was skin and bones! The poor thing looked like she hadn't been fed in months. How _dare_ you say that he was wrong to save her from Bella and the Dark Lord. I don't know how you live with your sins, but I truly hope that you are not so far gone that you do these acts without shame or guilt. I have _never_ been more proud of our son than when he saved that girl and when he left this life with her to fight for what he believes in. I would do anything to keep Draco away from this hell and I cannot express how glad I am that he's done it for himself." She stared into his shocked face; she had never lost her temper this way. She had always conducted herself as the prim and proper pureblood wife. She tried to calm her breathing and the flush she felt on her cheeks.

"Cissa… I…" He gulped and dropped his gaze to the floor. She'd immediately assumed that he would lose his temper right back at her. His would be cold where hers had been hot, but she expected fury nonetheless. Suddenly he straightened and in a formal voice said "I am glad to see you are well, wife." He turned to leave.

"Lucius! Wait…" She trailed off as he looked at her over his shoulder. "Are you going to tell the Dark Lord what he's done?"

"No. If he's not here to punish, the punishment will fall to me. I'd rather not endure that."

"What will you do when you see our son again?" She was sick to her stomach at his callous remarks about Draco. He had to have some love for his son, didn't he? Could she really be married to an absolute monster? He stared at her without expression for a moment.

"It will depend on what my lord tells me to do, his defection cannot go unnoticed for much longer." He turned and left without a backward glance.

Narcissa stood numbly for several moments until she became aware of the tears streaming down her cheeks. She straightened to her full height and dried her face. She had never been the type to give in to tears. She would plan. She would not allow harm to come to her son while she was alive to stop it. Come hell or high water, or a Dark Lord's vengeance, she would save her son.

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I know this is a pathetically short chapter and I apologize, but it's all I've got to post for a while because I'm so stuck! Please review and send me some inspiration!


	17. One Day More

A/N: Hello! THIS is the chapter that made me beat my head against the wall for like three weeks. I don't know what had me stumped, but I'm grateful for all the encouragement I got from y'all. You're the best! Here's hoping my struggle to write didn't translate into a crappy chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

**READ ME**: I meant to mention this a long time ago, but this is following the same exact timeline as Deathly Hallows. Harry and Ron are doing exactly the same things... just without Hermione- which is why we don't hear from them in this story. Things will change a bit during the battle, but it'll be clear when that happens.

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Hermione and Draco landed solidly in a country lane bordered by high hedges. They had decided to roam the village of Little Hangleton disguised as muggles for a few hours this morning since they had two days to stake the place out before they made a move to search the house itself. Their plan was to act like tourists and look for familiar faces, listen to the local gossip for anything unusual, and generally get the lay of the land. They'd modified each other's appearances to be not only unrecognizable but nondescript: they didn't want to attract any attention. She had changed his hair to a dark blond and changed his stubble to match. His eyes went from the piercing gray-blue to a more common hazel. Though she hated to, she filled out his cheeks so that his cheekbones weren't quite so prominent. She gave him a slight tan so that he wouldn't have the trademark Malfoy pallor. He was still very attractive but not as striking as he was normally. It was quite difficult to make Draco Malfoy less than handsome. Though if she were honest she'd admit that she didn't try too hard.

He'd straightened her hair and made it a one dimensional dark brown- though he missed the curls and coppery highlights. Her eyes also went to hazel and he subtly changed the shape of her eyebrows and nose, he transfigured a comb into a pair of thick-framed glasses to finish of her look.

"Well, it's going to be bloody strange looking at someone else all through our first date." He winked at her.

"Date?" She looked at him, surprised, as they walked down the lane taking in their surroundings.

"Let's see. Two people… who are romantically interested in each other, spend the morning sightseeing and then have a meal together out in a restaurant? Sounds like a date to me." He reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers as they walked side by side down the lane. She cut her eyes at him.

"I don't know… I don't recall being asked on any date…" She smiled innocently at him. He pulled her to a stop, only rolling his eyes a tiny bit.

"Hermione, would you have lunch with me today?" He asked in a falsely sweet voice.

"Why yes, that would be simply smashing, thank you." She laughed and they continued down the path to Little Hangleton. The area was really quite lovely, rolling meadows with cows lazing in the tall grass, with mature trees dotted here and there.

She looked back over her shoulder just to be sure no one was around and s poke quietly "From how Harry described it to me, the Gaunt shack is down in a valley off to the left of the road."

"Do you want to check it out?" He answered, mimicking her low voice.

"No, I don't think we should. Dumbledore's already searched it and retrieved the horcrux. We should probably stay out of there, I'd hate to trigger something that leads You Know Who to discover that it's missing, you know?" He nodded and squeezed her hand. They continued down the path somehow maintaining a casual appearance despite the fact that their eyes were constantly roving the hills.

The rounded a bend and a large manor house appeared on a slope off to the right. It was three stories tall and forlorn looking with dark ivy creeping up the sides, tiles missing off the roof and the garden completely overgrown.

"That must be it," Draco breathed. "Lovely." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I'm sure it was at one time." She pushed the glasses up her nose, how did Harry deal with that all the time? Was she geek chic now? She shook her head mentally at her musings, "Let's keep walking for now, we'll come back later." She didn't want to be seen standing out front look at the place and didn't want to go on the property until Friday.

"Let's go on to town then." He dropped her hand to rest an arm across her shoulders. She in turn wrapped an arm around his waist and smiled up at him. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "I could do for a cup of coffee, what about you?"

"I'm sure we could find a coffee shop." They meandered down the lane toward the small town, in no hurry, just observing. Draco was wearing his messenger bag transfigured as a backpack; they had decided to have a simple cover: a young couple on a touring holiday, just backpacking around England. They were going by the names of Kurt and Jaime Logan from Surrey, if the situation arose and they had to give their names. Draco hated the name Kurt, but she had assured him that it was a perfectly nondescript muggle name and wouldn't stick out in anyone's memory like Draco would. Hopefully they won't have to interact with too many people, but they had decided to go in prepared for that chance.

They topped a hill and down in the small valley sat a picture perfect small town. It had two or three main streets each several blocks long and lined with small shops and stores. In a matter of moments they had descended the hill and entered the village proper.

"Here's the coffee shop... shall we?" She smiled up at him and tugged him through the door. It was a cozy, welcoming place with about twelve small tables and about half were occupied. Since Draco was looking at the chalk board menu with a blank expression she stepped up and ordered two cappuccinos and a blueberry scone for herself. Draco pointed surreptitiously to a delicious looking cinnamon bun and she added that to the order. She smiled as his discomfort, wondering if his arrogance had ever dropped so low that he pointed at a sweet like a child instead of asking for it out loud. But she understood his caution; he didn't want to draw attention to the fact that he didn't know what half of the items in the case or menu were called. She paid for their coffee and treats- after telling the woman behind the counter they were just passing through when she mentioned she hadn't seen them in before. She managed to speak in a confident and friendly tone which surprised the both of them. Draco led the way to a small table in the back corner. They sat side by side with their backs to the wall so they could watch the comings and goings of other patrons without having to watch their backs. Hermione remembered sitting in another coffee shop a lifetime ago looking over her shoulder every thirty seconds or so when they had escaped Bill and Fleur's wedding, she was glad to be facing the door this time. Merlin, when was the last time she'd even been inside a store? She didn't even recognize her life any more. She sipped her cappuccino and sighed in pleasure, she hadn't had any form of coffee in months. Draco mimicked her and cautiously tasted his.

"Mm, this is delicious." He took a deeper drink. For some reason wizards hadn't discovered the joys of all the different coffee drinks. She liked tea but had a secret weakness for coffee. Draco put his arm across the top of the booth behind her and she leaned into his side a bit.

"Wait til you try that cinnamon roll, it looks divine." She broke her scone in half and put half on his plate, more than happy to share with him. She broke a small piece off for herself and munched in it contentedly, it was heavenly. They ate and sipped quietly, subtly eavesdropping on the conversations going on around them. There was talk of so-and-so's new baby and did you hear about little Jimmy who broke his wrist in the school yard? It sounded like typical small town banter to her. After about twenty or so minutes of this she hadn't heard talk of any strange happenings or anyone missing or killed, no strange strangers and she began to relax. She looked down and noticed that Draco had eaten his entire cinnamon roll and the half of her scone and hadn't offered her any.

"Enjoy your pastry?" She asked, only slightly sour that he hadn't offered her any. She supposed he was probably too on edge about trying to act appropriately in a muggle shop to think about niceties like sharing cinnamon buns.

"Mhmm, I could eat another to be honest." He confessed. She dug in her pocket and handed him a few pounds.

"Well go get us another one and let me try it this time. I'd take another cappuccino, too, please." She smirked at his alarmed expression as he stared at the unfamiliar money in his hand. She leaned up and whispered in his ear "Just ask for what you want like you'd do in any store then hand her that and she'll make proper change for you." She kissed him on the cheek and nudged him out of the booth. He glared at her over his shoulder and she winked back at him. It was so surreal to see Draco Malfoy out in a muggle shop, paying with muggle money. If someone had told her a month ago that she'd be on a date with Draco Malfoy in a muggle village, in a muggle coffee shop, he'd be helping her find and destroy horcruxes, and she'd be head over heels for him… she'd have told them to take a long walk off a short pier. He returned after a moment and she immediately divided the bun in half, ensuring that she got some. It was as good as it looked.

After they had dallied in the coffee shop about an hour and heard nothing interesting they ventured back out into the street. They stood for a moment on the sidewalk, looking up and down the street. They looked at each other, he shrugged, grabbed her hand and for lack of a better idea pulled them to the left. They walked companionably past an antique store, the post office, a sandwich shop, and Draco rolled his eyes as they came to a book store.

"And here goes the rest of the afternoon…" He grinned down and she smiled up with wide-eyed innocence, pretending she had no idea why he'd even think to roll his eyes.

"I'll only spend… half an hour, I promise! C'mon, please? I haven't even _seen_ a bookstore in a year!" She bounced on the balls of her feet. He chuckled at her.

"Don't worry about it, we've got nowhere to be, just keep your ears open while you browse." She dragged him into the store and promptly abandoned him. He smirked as she headed straight for the fiction aisle. He stood for a moment in the center of the store, surveying his options. He decided to hedge his bets and headed for the counter. He spotted a young blond cashier working the register. Perfect. He sauntered over.

"Hi." He smiled slowly at her; she blushed and smiled back. "I'm new in town." He said and smirked as she rested her forearms on the counter and leaned over to push her breasts up with her arms. Muggle or magical, the shallow ones were all the same.

"I thought you must be. I'd remember if I saw someone as handsome as you around town before." She bit her lip at gave him an appraising look. Maybe that worked on the small town boys she was used to dealing with. A bit sad really.

"So, I was wondering if you had any books on local interest. I'm only passing through, but I like to take a story with me when I go." He put a little emphasis on the word story, giving the impression that if she played her cards right, she could be a part of that story. She smiled.

"Well, no. No one's written a book about us here in Little Hangleton, the most interesting thing we've had happen here was an unsolved triple homicide and that's been nearly forty years ago now." She rolled her eyes at small town life. "People still talk about it like it was recent."

"An unsolved triple homicide? That's pretty interesting! I always like whodunits." Jackpot, he thought to himself. "What happened?"

She leaned closer and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper and spoke slowly. "Colonel Mustard, in the drawing room… with the candlestick." She winked. He stared blankly at her, feeling a flash of panic, was this some muggle code that he didn't know about? Oh, this was a terrible idea; he should've had Hermione do this. Her smile faded when he didn't respond, "You know… Clue? The board game?" His tension eased a bit; this was a stupid game?

"Clue? Sorry, missed that one." He leaned an elbow on the counter and tried to rebuild his confidence.

"You've never heard of Clue? Did you grow up in Antarctica or something?" She asked and laughed annoyingly.

"Or something." He said wryly and tried to ignore that laugh but it was like nails on a chalk board. "So, tell me more about the murder mystery of Little Hangleton."

"Well, there's not much to tell really. There's a big old house out just north of town and the family who lived there was found dead one morning by a maid, still in their dinner things. All three of them were just sitting there in the dining room dead. The coroner couldn't find a cause of death or anything. The police had arrested poor old Frank Bryce because he was the gardener and had a key, but when they couldn't find out what they died from they released him. Then about five years ago, they found Frank's body lying in the upstairs hallway, dead the same way. Poor Frank had a hard life, too. No one around here ever trusted him after the Riddles were killed; they were convinced he did it somehow. Then it turns out that he was killed the same way." She shrugged to indicate that that was the entire story she had to tell.

"How bizarre. Well what's the deal with the house now? Does anyone live there? I wouldn't want to live in a house where four people inexplicably dropped dead!" Or in a house that Voldemort has any link to, he added in his head.

"Oh no, it's been empty for my whole life. Someone bought it about ten years ago, but they've never done anything with it. A bunch of us used to sneak in there and hang out to get away from our parents; the place is full of trash and graffiti now. But I don't think anyone does that anymore because about a year ago the owner got tired of all us kids in there put in an alarm system that rings the police directly if anyone goes in." She finished and shrugged again. He didn't know what an alarm system was exactly, but he could infer that it was an issue and would alert the authorities to their presence in the house. Hm. He'd discuss it with Hermione; she had to know more about that stuff than he.

"Interesting. Well thank you for sharing, now I have my story to take with me. I'm going to go browse, I'll stop by on my way out." He winked and turned away to find Hermione. He found her three aisles over, sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by several books. He leaned a shoulder on the bookshelf and watched her for a moment. He hated to make her get up and leave, but he didn't think they'd find anything else useful here. There weren't any conversations they could eavesdrop on to gather information, just several solitary people perusing the shelves. Plus he was eager to tell her what he'd heard from the cashier. He took a couple steps toward her and she finally noticed him. He stooped and started stacking up the books she'd pulled off the shelves.

"Shall I take these to the counter or help you put them away?" He smiled down at her far away expression, he knew she'd love to spend the afternoon lost in a book.

"I don't think I'll have any opportunity to read in the near future. We'll put them back. When this is over, I'm going to buy like two dozen books and do nothing but read for pleasure for a month." She declared a little grumpily.

"Sounds good to me. That's how we'll spend our holiday if you like." He smiled and offered his hand to help her up. "I've got a good story about Little Hangleton to share with you."

"You do? Well let's head down the street and you can tell me all about it." She looked at him with an air of surprise; apparently she hadn't expected him to come across any information without her. They headed for the exit and he was relieved to see that the cashier was busy ringing up a customer and didn't notice their exit. He'd rather not have to speak to her again. They continued down the street in the direction they had been heading and after casting Muffliato he filled her in on the information that the cashier had given him. When he finished they walked on in silence for a few minutes while she took it in.

"I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed. I feel like we're wasting our time here. If a town full of teenagers has been hanging out in it… I feel like if he'd left" she looked around for anyone within listening distance, "_something_ there, he'd have made it a bit more secure, don't you think?" They'd now reached the last shop on that street and saw a small empty park a couple hundred yards further. He steered them that way, wanting to be sure they weren't overheard or noticed loitering aimlessly.

"I think you might be right. I think we should look regardless though. What's the deal with the alarm system she mentioned?" He asked.

"She said it rings the police automatically?" She looked up and he nodded. "That definitely presents a problem. As soon as we open a door or window we'll trigger it. It may also have sensors that detect movement even if we did find a way through a door or window." She chewed on her lower lip mercilessly.

"Well, if we do trigger it and it _rings the police_, as you say, and I'm assuming the police are some type of muggle authority, how quickly could they get there? Could we Disillusion ourselves so that they can't see us? Would they just leave?"

"Well, I haven't seen the police station here, so it may be that Little Hangleton doesn't have its own police force and it relies on Hangleton proper for law enforcement. If that's the case, I'd say the fastest they could get there would be… five to ten minutes? The alarm will probably give us two minutes before it alerts them because it has time built-in for the owner to turn it off properly. So, a two minute grace period until the signal is sent, let's say two minutes for the call to be dispatched… then it's just luck at that point. If the call goes out and there's a police car here in Little Hangleton, they'll come straight away. I mean, it's not like there's a whole lot going on, you know? But if they have to dispatch from Hangleton then they'd have at least a… five to six minute drive by car."

"Well bollucks. I say we'd need at least an hour to feel like we efficiently searched the place. More like three to four hours." He stepped on to the park area. What did the muggles call them? Playgrounds? He looked at the… things scattered around. Some were obviously for climbing, the others he had no idea how they were meant to be used. Hermione walked absently over to a… thing, that had sets of chains hanging from a bar and a wide strap connecting the ends of the chairs. He watched her interestedly, wondering what she was going to do. She grasped one of the chains in one hand and turned around and sat down on the strap.

"What is that?" He finally asked.

"What's what?" She looked up, confused.

"What you're sitting on…" Really, what else could he be talking about?

"It's a swing!" She looked at him like he'd just grown a second head. … A third head. Heh. "Are you telling me you've never been on a swing before?"

"If I had been on one before would I have had to ask you what it was called?" He smirked at her when she rolled her eyes at him.

"Well come on, hop on and I'll show you how it's done! It's quite fun, I promise!" With that she grabbed both chains and standing up walked back several steps before she launched herself off of her feet and he thought for sure she was going to fall off of the… swing, and land on her head, but instead she swung gracefully forward and laughed like it was the best thing that had happened all day. He watched her, bemused, for a few minutes, wondering how flinging back and forth was fun… wouldn't flying on a broom be much better? "Come on! Aren't you going to come and play with me?"

"No." She instantly pouted. "Why would I want to do that? Flying would be much more fun, you aren't even going anywhere, just flinging back and forth like a pendulum."

It took her nearly ten minutes and the subtle implication that he was afraid of looking like a moron for him to finally give in and sit in the swing. Within two minutes he was swinging with perfect form. After another two minutes he asked her what the point of 'swinging' was. She conceded that having grown up flying on a broom swinging probably didn't have the same attraction to him as to her. She gave up trying to force him to have fun the muggle way and they decided to meander down the next street of Little Hangleton. They spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the tiny town, they had lunch in a small sandwich shop and she introduced Draco to Coke, which le loved. They didn't speak to each other much as they were too busy eavesdropping on as many conversations as possible. She noted that it seemed that there was not, in fact, a police station in Little Hangleton. That may buy them a bit more time in the house… During the afternoon she spent some time thinking over all the spy and crime novels she'd ever read, happily there had been many. How realistic they were she wasn't sure though. She used the 'knowledge' she'd gained from those novels to formulate a way to buy more time inside the house, and possibly to avoid summoning the police at all….

They retreated to a large patch of woods about five miles north of Little Hangleton and after the exchange of several Patronuses used the Deluminator to bring Harry and Ron so they could go over the plans for Friday's activities. Security questions answered and cursory greetings given Hermione jumped right in with her questions.

"Did the Dursleys have an alarm system?" She was really hopeful Harry would know more about them than she did, she had grown up in a very quiet part of town and not many people had alarms.

"No, why?" He looked puzzled and her shoulders slumped a bit at his answer.

"We've found out there's an alarm system on the Riddle house that notifies the police when it's triggered."

"Oh. Bugger." He scratched his already messy hair.

"Yeah. I was wondering, if we were able to cut the phone line or the power to the house, would the police automatically be notified at the loss of connection, or would we be in the clear?" Harry looked up surprised.

"Been watching spy movies?" He chuckled. "I guess it would depend on the system's sophistication. I don't know of any way to tell though." He thought for a moment, then asked "Who put a burglar alarm on it anyways, You Know Who wouldn't put muggle security on it."

She turned to Draco to answer since he was the one to get the information in the first place. He obliged, "Apparently the place was purchased by a muggle about ten years ago. The local teenagers used it as a hang out and he got tired of them breaking in and making a mess and installed the alarm." He looked at Hermione and continued, "So now we're not feeling very confident that we'll find anything if we get in. One: would kids hang out there if there was lingering dark magic? Wouldn't they feel spooked? Two: wouldn't You Know Who realize they were in there messing shit up and either put up wards to stop them or move the horcrux to somewhere more secure? And three: with this alarm thing, we'll probably have less than ten minutes to search before the authorities arrive. Hard to thoroughly search a three-story house in less than ten minutes." Harry and Ron both frowned and nodded at the new development.

"Harry, did Dumbledore say anything about wards or security in the Gaunt shack?"

"Yeah, he said there were some wards, but he managed to get through them without alerting You Know Who. I mean, that was over three years ago and he still doesn't know it's gone."

"Well that makes me think the likelihood of there being a horcrux there is even less, because if there were wards the muggles wouldn't be hanging out in it." Draco said as he shoved his hands through his hair.

"Yeah, I think you're right." Hermione stated. Harry nodded.

"Well, you've still got to look though… we don't have any other ideas, do we?" Ron asked.

"I think you're right, too, Ron. If there are wards to keep out wizards, we'd be able to sense them before we crossed them, right? If we were looking for them?" She looked between the three of them and it was Draco who spoke.

"I'm pretty familiar with wards, Malfoy Manor is probably the most secure residence in Britain. I'm also pretty familiar with how the Dark Lord casts spells and what he uses frequently. If there are any I'll know, and I can probably get through them."

"Are you really that good, Malfoy?" Harry looked grudgingly impressed.

"Of course. What am I not good at?" He retorted with an arrogant smirk.

"How about not being a git? I'd say you're pretty lousy at that." Ron interjected a bit aggressively and Hermione wanted to pull her hair out.

"Hey! We're not doing this again today." She glared at all of them for good measure, even though Harry had been behaving himself. "Alright, I don't want to know the details of you plan in case… well, in case. But tell me what time you are planning on going to Gringotts and we'll time our entry into the house to your entry to the bank."

"We plan on getting there at ten in the morning, day after tomorrow." Her stomach churned as she thought about them trying to break into the bank… and getting out safely.

"Do you think your plan has a chance of working?" She worried her bottom lip with her teeth again. Images of Harry and Ron being captured swarmed through her mind.

"It stands as good a chance as any other plan we've made. Better because we've got Griphook as an insider." He shrugged and that didn't go very far toward making her feel better.

"Alright one last question, do you think it's safe to use magic inside the house?" She'd been pondering this for days, whether there would be anything in place to detect magic, set by either the ministry or by Voldemort. Harry thought a moment before he answered.

"Erm. I think you should only use it if you have to. You can't be too careful."

They spoke for a few more minutes and confirmed that as soon as Harry and Ron were safely out of Gringotts they would make contact to let Hermione and Draco know about the success or failure of the mission. They agreed that if they hadn't been heard from by four that afternoon, Draco and Hermione would sneak into a wizarding village to try and cop an Evening Prophet or listen to a radio broadcast, because in all likelihood, if they hadn't been heard from they would either be dead or imprisoned and either of those would be newsworthy. She didn't want to think about that. With tight hugs from Hermione and a handshake from Draco the boys departed, they agreed to maintain radio silence (Draco and Ron had been thoroughly confused when Harry used the phrase) until after their tasks were complete to reduce the opportunity for their plans being discovered.

In lieu of the tent, Draco and Hermione took shelter on a hill opposite the Riddle house just inside a small copse. Just after dinner, before they began switching off for the watches Hermione found herself leaning against a tree, staring into the dark. She had always loved the woods, but her next several holidays were going to be anywhere but a forest. She was getting quite tired of forests. This area was surprisingly nice though, considering they were less than half a mile from the place where Voldemort had murdered his father and grandparents and subsequently hidden a piece of his soul. Despite knowing that, this area was very lovely. She felt Draco at her shoulder and tipped her head to rest on his chest.

"Knut for your thoughts." He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled at his comment; he'd taken to asking her that when he found her deep in thought. It felt nice to know he was interested in what she was thinking.

"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep." She smiled into the dark. They were quiet for a moment, she assumed he was pondering her words.

"Huh. I can't decide if that's depressing or not. The woods _are_ lovely, dark, and deep. Ah well, I think I like it, depressing or not. Who said that?" He spoke with his chin rested on her head.

"A muggle poet. Robert Frost." She clasped her hands on top of his on her stomach.

"Hm. Interesting." He bent down and kissed her on the cheek. "Why don't you grab a sleeping bag and I'll take the first watch?"

"Sounds perfect, I'm dead on my feet."

She settled into her sleeping bag and looked up at the stars for a few minutes, worrying about Harry and Ron. She was nervous about breaking into the Riddle house, but knew that Harry and Ron were taking a a much bigger risk trying to get in to the LeStrange's vault. She just didn't see how they were going to make it out of there. But, she had said that she didn't want to know the plan so she would just hold out hope that they did in fact have a decent plan.

She looked over at Draco who was peering through her Omnioculars from the World Cup, his blond hair shining even in the dim light of the new moon. She had been glad to change back into their own appearances when they had gotten safely away from the town. She watched as Draco pointed his wand at a large fallen limb and transfigured it into a low chair, its seat was nearly on the ground but it allowed him to lean back comfortably and stretch his long legs out in front of him.

"Draco?" She asked looking up at him. He looked down and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, love?"

"Kiss me good night?" She smiled shyly. They had actually had a good day. Aside from her worry for Ron and Harry she had enjoyed the day. Draco had joked about today being a date and it had almost felt that way. She smiled as she thought of his discomfort at all the muggle things he had encountered over the course of the day. He cocked an eyebrow at her request but immediately vacated his chair and lowered himself to lie partly on top of her. He gently swept some hair off of her face and she marveled, not for the first time, how she had ever thought him to be a cruel person. She slid her fingers across his stubble and lifted her face to meet his lips. His lips were soft, warm, and sensuous against hers. The kiss was sweet and she pulled away and sighed… she would be happy to keep kissing him for the next... year or so, but he really needed to be paying attention.

"I guess I should get back to watching the house. Go to sleep love, I'll wake you up around midnight." He gave her one move kiss and settled back into his watch.

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A/N: We're finally getting close to some action! Who's excited?

Also, I've gotten emails with reviews that never made it to the site... if you don't see a review you made, please go back and repost! I'm not sure why they're not posting! :(


	18. Do You Hear the People Sing?

A/N: Happy Friday! Tell me what you think, I love your reviews!

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Do you hear the people sing?  
Singing a song of angry men?  
It is the music of a people  
Who will not be slaves again!  
When the beating of your heart  
Echoes the beating of the drums  
There is a life about to start  
When tomorrow comes!

The night passed without any activity whatsoever. He woke her shortly after midnight and he slept until dawn. They decided that they would spend the entire day Thursday patiently watching the house for any movement. They were both fairly certain that they'd have a boring day of nothing, followed by a boring night of nothing. Sure enough, the day passed and Friday morning dawned bright and clear after a long night of watching an empty house. Draco had had the last watch through the wee hours of the morning and tried to get a couple hours of sleep before ten o'clock rolled around, but their nerves were too high. At 9:30 they packed up their belongings and made their way down the hill.

"Do you think they'll make it back out of the bank?" Far more than worrying about themselves, she was worrying about Harry and Ron.

"They've got to have a decent plan or they wouldn't even attempt it." He tried to reassure her, but she could see doubt in his eyes.

"They have to try, we all agree that there's probably a horcrux there. We can't ignore that." She said, as much to herself as to him. He nodded and put his arm around her.

"Then pray to the god of your choosing that we're all still alive at the end of the day." He kissed her temple.

"Not reassuring, Malfoy." She glared up at him. He knew he was skating on thin ice when she reverted to using his surname.

"Yeah well, you love me." He winked at her and she allowed the lift in the mood, worrying did nothing productive.

"Yes, I suppose I do." She took his hand and squeezed it. She checked her watch and saw that it was five til ten. "Five minutes. Let's go to the property line and see if we can detect any wards or spells, yeah?" He nodded and they crossed the valley hand in hand and stopped in the lane where the driveway came down from the house. He checked over his shoulders and couldn't see anyone else in the valley, apparently no one ever came out this way because they hadn't seen anyone yesterday either. She watched him close his eyes and hold his hands palm out towards the house. She'd never seen anyone do this before and was quiet as she waited. After a couple of minutes he looked own at her and shrugged.

"I don't feel any magic."

"Well, let's go up to the house then." They walked silently and carefully. The plan was to circle the exterior until they found where the utilities entered the house. They were going to cut the phone line and find a way to disconnect the power. She didn't know if there would be some kind of switch at the electric meter or if they'd have to try and cut the power line without being electrocuted… hopefully the former but that seemed foolishly optimistic.

They walked quickly around the side of the house and rounding the back of the house found the electric meter attached to the main power supply and the phone line into the house conveniently right next to the power. She pondered them for a moment. There didn't appear to be any sort of handy switch. Draco looked content to let her contemplate it silently, she had explained to him the night before that electricity was extremely dangerous, causing severe burns and even death. She looked about the yard and her eyes fell on an old shed.

"Let's go check that out, maybe there's something in there we can use." She trotted over, eager to get the show on the road. Draco opened the rusty door and revealed a supply of gardening tools. She stepped in; trying not to think about the scurrying mice or the cobwebs everywhere and against the wall right next to her was a shovel with a long wooden handle. Perfect. She picked it up and headed back to the house.

"I'm going to cut the line with the blade of the shovel; the wood of the handle isn't a conductor so the electricity won't hurt me." He looked uncertain and pulled it out of her hands.

"Here, let me do this. I don't want something to go wrong and you get hurt." She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. "Just tell me what to do so we can get in there and get this done."

"Well, first I want you to see if you can feel any wards because we want to go in immediately after we cut the it in case the power failure automatically notifies the authorities." He again closed his eyes and held his hands palms forward and stood quietly for a full minute.

"Nothing, again." He sighed. "I think we're wasting our time here. But we'll do what we came to do and cross it off the list."

"Alright, just jam the shovel through the lines there, you'll need to make sure that ends aren't touching each other so you may have to pry them apart with the shovel. You mustn't touch the metal part of the shovel or it'll likely kill you. That or really piss you off."

"Lovely." He rolled his eyes and did as she instructed, heaving the shovel with all his weight, the blade went cleanly through the cables. Sparks flew as the shovel made contact with the line and rust particles flamed off of the shovel and floated as embers to the ground at their feet. Both the phone and the power lines were cut in a single stroke.

"Well done. Don't touch it, it's still live. Now we just have to get in, hopefully without having to use magic." She walked to the back door, peeking around, was satisfied that they were completely hidden from the road by the house and the overgrown landscape. The backdoor didn't have a deadbolt, just a doorknob lock. She'd seen enough crime movies for this. She dug her wallet out of her bag and removed a credit card. Grasping the door knob in one hand she wiggled the card in between the door jamb and the door. Draco peered over her shoulder with interest. She pushed and pulled on the door for a moment while wiggling the card in as far as she could, with a sudden click it swung in.

"Bloody hell, Granger! Where'd you learn that?"

"Oh, I'm just full of surprises." She grinned cheekily at him. "Ready?" He smirked and nodded. She looked at her watch to note the time; it had been a little over a minute since they'd cut the power. She was hoping that if a signal was sent by the alarm company the police would have better things to do than check on an abandoned house with a power outage.

The door led into a dark and grimy kitchen and they entered cautiously, listening intently for any sounds of movement but the house was cold and silent as a crypt. The air was still and stagnant and reeked of rot and mildew. She noted that none of the lights on the keypad to the burglar alarm were lit. They looked at each other and silently progressed through the kitchen and approached the doorway into an unknown room. They flattened against the wall, one on either side of the doorway, wands gripped tightly in their hands. He mouthed "one, two, three" on three they went through the door, she went low, he went high. She felt almost as though she was watching the scene as a spectator. This was too much like the crime novels she read… they were clearing the house just like they did in the books. They somehow moved like partners that had been working together for years. It spoke volumes about the impact that war made on their lives that they went through each door together as a seamless unit, she crouched low and he stood tall so that they weren't in each other's line of fire. Or line of spell… did the saying change in the wizarding world? She willed herself to focus. They moved through the entire downstairs without finding any sign of any recent activity, the only footprints in the thick dust on the floor were their own. They moved up the creaking stairs as quietly as possible and cleared the second and third floors. She checked her watch. Twelve minutes since they cut the power. She peered out of a front window and saw the lane and driveway were as empty as they had been all day. She looked at Draco and they both seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief.

"I didn't feel any magic in here, did you?" She asked.

"No. Nothing." He moved towards a small closet and opened the door. It was empty. "There won't be much to search. Apparently the whole bloody house has been cleaned out. I'm not sure why I expected everything to be the same as it had been when he killed his parents here, it's had at least two owners since then, the last ones took all their stuff it seems."

"Well, we'll search anyways. Pay attention to any hollow-sounding or loose floorboards, the horcrux in the Gaunt house was hidden in the floor." They searched through all the closets and bathroom drawers; they tapped along floorboards and walls and found nothing. Every few minutes she looked out a front window but the lane remained empty of law enforcement or any other traffic. The second floor passed the same way, the house was entirely empty.

Halfway through the ground level they froze as they heard the crunch of gravel outside. She rushed to a window and saw a police car pulling off the lane into the driveway.

"It's the police." She stated and gasped as he pulled her away from the window and out of sight.

"Can you be satisfied with what we've done? Or do we Confund him and keep searching?" He kept an eye on the approaching car, which luckily seemed to be in no hurry coming down the long drive.

"Yeah, I'm satisfied that there's nothing here." She said, frustratedly running her hands through her hair. "This whole thing was a waste of time. Let's get out of here." As they heard a car door slam outside, he gathered her into his arms and Apparated them away.

Hermione was pacing. She'd been pacing for an hour. It was now nearly 1 o'clock and they hadn't heard from Harry or Ron. Draco had attempted once to stop her pacing but her scathing reply had halted any further attempts. He was now watching her with a bored expression, lounging back in a chair, one leg draped over an arm. She knew that he was actually fairly anxious himself about the outcome of Harry and Ron's attempt on the bank but was too… _Malfoy_ to show it.

She suddenly sat down in front of him and met his gaze. "Tell me."

"Tell you what?" He asked, not moving.

"Worst case. Give me the worst case scenario." She twisted her hands in her lap and a tear leaked out of an eye. She looked up to the ceiling and blinked furiously, unwilling to let another escape. He sat up and leaned toward her.

"You already know." He stared hard as she shook her head.

"Tell me. All of it. I need to be prepared." Her request made him slightly angry, she knew exactly what would happen if Potter and Weaselbee didn't make it out of the bank. He sighed, knowing that she wouldn't rest until she'd forced him to put her fears into words. He looked straight into her eyes and spoke in a flat voice, his anger taking away his sensitivity and sympathy.

"If they are discovered inside the bank, they will be held by the goblins for the Death Eaters. They'll be taken to the manor. They'll be tortured by whatever death eaters are there whilst they wait for the Dark Lord. If they don't have the cup or whatever it is, he will question them under torture to discover why they were trying to get into the vault. If they do have it he'll know immediately why they were there. In that case he'll torture them to find out how much they know. They'll tell him everything."

"No they won't. They won't tell him." She insisted loyally.

"Yes, Hermione, they will. What Bellatrix did to you is nothing compared to what he's capable of." She pressed her lips together in a thin line and did not respond. He continued, "He'll kill Potter as soon as he's satisfied with the information he's given because Potter's a threat and is the Chosen One and he's let Potter get away too many times before. Weasley won't fare as well. They will probably execute him publicly and make an example of him to any resistance that remains after word of Potter's death spreads." He watched her sit unmoving. Her lack of reaction confirmed that she was already fully aware of everything she'd made him say out loud.

"Look Granger, let's wait until four like all of us agreed before we panic, alright? Chances are they're out of the bank and on the run. They wouldn't have gone on a suicide mission. Potter's smarter than that; he knows he's too important. He'd have sent me in if he didn't think they were going to make it out." She took a deep breath and nodded. She stood and resumed pacing again.

At two o'clock Hermione's hair was beginning to resemble a very large bird's nest from running her hands through it.

At 2:30 she'd gotten her hands trapped and he had to use his wand to untangle it, then she spent ten minutes silently braiding it with wide and glassy eyes.

By three o'clock Draco was tempted to stun her to put her out of her misery. Had he not been worried that Potter's Patronus, if it came, would be sent to only Hermione he probably would have done it.

By 3:30 they had packed the tent and Hermione was sitting on a rock with her face buried in her knees and Draco had taken up pacing.

Finally, at ten to four, they both gasped and spun toward the other and she leapt to her feet as Harry's stag Patronus landed between them and spoke in a breathless voice.

_"We got the cup but lost the sword. Escaped on a dragon, by the way. Bloody brilliant. We've got minor injuries to treat, give me ten minutes and I'll get back to you."_

The stag vanished and they were left staring at each other. Draco rushed forward as her knees buckled and caught her before she hit the ground. To his relief and her credit she did not break down. Instead she took several gulping breaths and started laughing quietly.

"Oh my god, I can't believe they did it!" She kissed him soundly on the lips and pulled back to smile at him. He was glad to see the glassy terror was gone from her eyes. "Did… did he say… a dragon?" She shook her head. "We'll get the story later. Damn, I hate that they lost the sword! I wonder what happened…"

"How will they kill it without the sword though?" He wondered. She gnawed her lip again at the question.

"I don't know." She sighed and paced away. Suddenly she whipped back around, "Hey! Can you produce and control Fiendfyre by chance?" Her head was tipped to the side and she had her studious face on.

"Ms. Granger, Fiendfyre is illegal and highly dangerous."

"Shove it, Malfoy, can you do it?" She demanded.

"Yes." He narrowed his eyes, dimly seeing where she was going with this.

"You're joking!" She shrieked and swatted his arm. When he merely raised an eyebrow she continued, "Fiendfyre destroys horcruxes!" She leapt to her feet, her eyes as big as galleons. His mouth dropped open and he felt a thrill of excitement rush through him.

"Fucking brilliant! That means if we can get with Potter and the Weasel, we destroy the cup, then there's one more, the snake, and then him, right?" He too was on his feet.

"Yes!" She opened her mouth to speak again but her words strangled in her throat when Harry's Patronus bounded into sight again, when it spoke, Harry's voice was winded and rushed.

_"He knows! He's checking on them, be sure you're out of Little Hangleton, he's on his way to the Gaunt shack! The last one is at Hogwarts, we're Apparating into Hogsmeade right now and we'll send word when we find a safe way to enter. Don't argue, by the time you get this we've already left."_

"Damn him! We can't just sit here and let him go traipsing into Hogsmeade! If he's got a horcrux at Hogwarts then Hogsmeade must be swarming with Death Eaters!" She scrubbed her hands down her face. She looked frustrated, but he felt dread swirling through him.

"Hermione, what did he mean when he said _he knows_?"

"He knows we're hunting horcruxes."

"How does Potter know that?"

She sighed, "Harry can see into You Know Who's mind." Draco felt his mouth drop open.

"But that's… I thought… I thought it was just a weird connection in dreams thing?" He thought back to when the Dark Lord had lured Potter to the Department of Mysteries.

"No. When he gets strong surges of emotion Harry can feel it and… he sort of visits You Know Who's mind, it's not really possession because he can't manipulate him. He's just a spectator to everything he's feeling, thinking, and doing. He can hear and see everything just as You Know Who does and he remains completely unaware."

"Fuck." He ran his fingers through his hair. "You didn't think that was worth sharing?"

"It never came up. I never really thought about it to be honest, it's not like I kept it from you on purpose." She said distractedly she was obviously fretting about Potter trying to get into the school. He decided to let it go, there were bigger things going on right now.

"Okay, so if the Dark Lord knows we're hunting them… shit's about to get real. He's not going to just let us get into Hogwarts and find the last one. We've got to get there before he moves it…. I guess that's why Potter's gone there. Let's Apparate closer. What do you think?"

"Yes, let's. There are some caves outside of town where Sirius hid while he was on the lam. I can take us there."

She was pacing again. The cave was small and dark and quiet. She was so afraid that her thoughts were only a sustained, silent panic. It had only been fifteen minutes since Harry's Patronus, but it had been the longest fifteen minutes of her life. She looked out of the mouth of the cave and could just see the twinkling lights of the town and castle through the trees. Draco was sitting next to her also looking out of the cave entrance, worrying his wand with his long fingers. She willed Harry to send them an update. If he didn't soon, she was going to throttle him. As if he heard her, the stag pranced into the cave.

"_Apparate directly into the Hog's Head. Aberforth will tell you what to do. See you in a minute."_

She looked at Draco and without a word he tucked her into his embrace once more and turned on the spot.

She felt her feet hit the filth-covered stone floor of the Hog's Head's barroom and opened her eyes to see the barman studying them, especially Draco, with piercing blue eyes. Her own eyes widened as she realized who this man was. She straightened away from Draco and walked towards the barman.

"You're Aberforth Dumbledore, aren't you?" How had she never realized that Dumbledore's brother had been here all this time?

He didn't answer her question, merely studied Draco for another moment. "Potter said you were bringing a Malfoy with you and not to hex him on sight." She took a step to the right to stand between the men. It did not go unnoticed by Aberforth and his eyebrows raised a fraction. "I'm not going to hex him, girl, relax." Relax? That was likely, she thought sarcastically.

"Where's Harry?" was her only response. He studied her now for a moment.

"Come with me." He turned and left the bar and headed for a staircase in the back. She looked up at Draco and he shrugged. He took her hand and led the way, going first up the stairs behind Aberforth. When they reached the top she moved to stand next to Draco and Aberforth's eyes landed on their clasped hands.

"Potter said you picked this one up in Malfoy Manor."

"Yes. We had been captured and taken there by snatchers. Harry and Ron were able to get away but I wasn't. Draco saved me from Bellatrix and You Know Who. He hid me, healed me, and we left together about a week ago." She spoke quickly and succinctly, not really wanting to take the time to explain but at the same time wanting as many people as possible to know that Draco was on their side. She didn't want him hit by friendly fire, as the muggles say.

"So Bill Weasley said. I have to say I had trouble believing him." Aberforth wasn't climbing very high in her good graces.

"Where is Harry?" She asked again. He gestured toward a large portrait and as he did it swung open revealing a stone passage. She eyed it warily.

"Where does it lead?" Draco asked, apparently he was just as uneasy as she was.

"To Potter." When she huffed out a breath he added, "To the Room of Requirement. I think you'll find several people who are eager to see you." She and Draco look at each other and after a moment's silent communication Draco led the way to the portrait hole and helped her onto the ledge. He lit his wand and looked down the empty passageway. She turned back and looked at Aberforth for a moment.

"Thank you Mr. Dumbledore," She spoke quietly. He merely jerked his head in acknowledgement.

Draco rolled her eyes at her, tugged on her hand and led them into the dark.

After several minutes of walking as quietly as they could they finally saw a light coming around a door up ahead. As they approached it they glanced at each other, Draco nodded. They both whispered "_Nox_" and he pushed the door open. Their eyes were blinded by the sudden brightness and she heard cries of "Hermione! HERMIONE! Harry said you'd be here soon!" and numerous other greetings that were inaudibly shouted over each other and she was hugged and patted on the back. Finally she extracted herself from a pair of arms and looked up to see that they belonged to Neville.

"Neville! What happened, you look terrible!" She was shocked and dismayed to see his face bruised and cut up. He waved her off and his eyes focused over her head and his face hardened just a bit.

"Harry told us Malfoy would be with you. Is it true that he saved you?" He looked back down at her. She deliberately stepped back to stand next to Draco, she wanted all of them to see that he had her full confidence.

"Yes. He saved me. He saved me and he's switched sides and is actively fighting _with_ us now." She looked around the silent room at the faces of many people that she cared about. All the faces were bruised or cut in some way and were all currently frowning. She looked up at Neville who was now almost as tall as Draco, the last year had wrought a dramatic change in him. She could all but hear him thinking as he studied Draco intently.

After a tense moment he offered his hand. "Malfoy." Draco dropped her hand and slowly took Neville's.

"Longbottom." He returned.

Neville looked him in the eye for a moment and then said "Thanks for that, then. We'd be lost without Hermione." Neville cracked a grin and the mood in the room lightened instantly. Apparently in Harry's absence Neville had become the leader and if he was alright with Draco they were, too.

Draco smirked at his comment, "Why don't you me something I don't know, Longbottom?" He said wryly. Neville nodded and chuckled. Hermione pulled him to the side.

"Where are Harry and Ron? Aberforth said they were here…?" Someone was going to get a Bat Bogey Hex a la Ginny Weasley if she didn't see Harry and Ron soon.

"They went with Luna to Ravenclaw tower. They're going to look at the bust of Rowena Ravenclaw to see what her diadem looks like. Harry said you all are looking for something and it might be that."

"Oh." That stumped her for a moment. They'd discussed the diadem from time to time but had always discarded the idea because it had been lost for centuries. Neville recognized her 'deep in thought' expression and moved away to talk to someone else. What had Harry learned to make him think this was a viable option now? Or was it just desperation and lack of another, more likely, option? She was distracted by Draco addressing Dean Thomas from somewhere near her left shoulder. Dean and Luna had apparently arrived moments before they had.

"Thomas, did I hear you say you haven't got a wand?" Dean nodded warily at Draco.

"Here, we've got an extra. I reckon you're going to need one before the night's over." He turned to her and raised an eyebrow; she nodded and fished around in her bag for it. She noticed while she was retrieving the wand that the room had gone strangely silent and she knew that Draco had shocked its occupants by offering Dean their extra wand. It was very uncharacteristic of the Malfoy that they all knew and loved… er, hated. They actually had three extras taken from the Snatchers, but they each had one up their sleeve, literally, as a backup. They weren't going to share those though, unless circumstances were dire. Draco passed the wand to Dean who took it appreciatively, but still slightly skeptical.

"So, Malfoy. What happened to you?" Everyone turned at Dean's question; apparently they were all wondering the same thing.

His face remained expressionless, his Malfoy mask forced back in place by the discomfort of confronting people who would've hexed first and asked questions later had Hermione not been by his side.

"Hermione." He answered. That was the short answer, the long answer he was still working out for himself. Everyone waited for him to continue but when his silence and body language indicated that he wasn't going to elaborate they returned to their conversations.

She drew his attention back to him. "What should we do? Should we just wait here for Harry and Ron to come back? Have you got any ideas?" He scratched the back of his head.

"No, not really. They've got the cup with them and I can destroy it, it'll be pointless for us to wander off and them not be able to find us, yeah? First thing we've got to do is get rid of the cup, then we can worry about the diadem or whatever the last one may be." She chewed on her lip a moment as she thought and then nodded her agreement. She'd give her right arm to have the Marauder's Map right now so she'd know where they were and with whom.

Suddenly the room was filled with whoops and yells, she whipped around and saw two redheaded men hopping out of the passageway. Everyone in the room shouted as one, "Fred! George!" and rushed the twins. She grinned at them from where she was standing. Merlin it was good to see them. They were soon entertaining the entire room.

Neville broke away and came over to her and Draco. "You know, Hermione, we're still using those coins from Dumbledore's Army. That's how Dean and Luna and Fred and George got here. We sent them messages with the charm you put on them. I expect we'll get a few more here with them. Half the members of the Order have got one. They'll get the message to the rest."

"What? What message did you send them?" After a second's thought, it seemed like a brilliant idea. Since Voldemort knew they were after his horcruxes, it was only a matter of hours, if that, before he came to the castle. Sneaking members of the Order in without anyone the wiser was pretty brilliant. The only drawback as they still had two horcruxes and the snake to kill before they could kill Voldemort.

"I told them that Harry was here and we were making a fight of it." He hesitated, "I mean, that's why you're here isn't it? I know Harry said he was just looking for something, but if he finds it… what then? You can't just leave us in this mess, you know."

She studied him, his torn clothes and beaten face. "We'll see, Neville. Let's see what Harry says when he comes back." She felt Draco twitch beside her and turned to him in concern. She saw he was clutching his left forearm and looked grim.

"Is it your mark?" She whispered.

He nodded, "It's not him though, it was just a twinge. It means someone has summoned him. He hasn't summoned them yet. When he does we'll know it's game time."

During the next fifteen minutes half of the Order did indeed arrive. The rest of the Weasleys, except Percy and Charlie, Tonks and Lupin, and Kinglsey.

Amid all the greetings Harry and Ron finally returned and she met them at the door. Harry stared over her shoulder in shock at the now nearly full room. "What… where? Why are they all here?"

"They used the DA coins. He's told everyone that we're going to make a stand against You Know Who." The room had gone silent at the boys' return and Neville spoke up at Hermione's words.

"We _are_ fighting, aren't we, Harry?" Neville looked frustrated. Harry paused for a moment then nodded.

"Yes." There was a resounding cheer and Harry held up his hands to quiet them down. "Voldemort knows I'm here. He's on the way. Snape's run fo rit and everyone is gathering in the Great Hall to make a battle plan. You should head there now." There was a deafening shout from those gathered and they immediately swarmed for the door.

Now he lowered his voice to speak to Hermione and Draco, "He's checking all the other horcruxes first. He's in the cave right now. It'll take him some time to get in and out of it because that damn lake is so big and he's got to take that boat out to the island and back, but probably less than half an hour."

"Brilliant. You've got the cup?" He nodded. She rushed on, "Draco can destroy it. Fiendfyre." Harry's head swiveled over to Draco.

"Brilliant, I wasn't sure how we were going to pull this off." He dug a small, plain cup out of his robes and handed it to Draco. "What do you need to do it?" Draco thought a moment.

"I suppose just an empty room, preferable with nothing particularly flammable." He shrugged.

Harry nodded. "Right well when this lot clears out, ask the room to turn in to what you need. Hermione stay with him, Ron and I will go to the great hall and try to figure out where the hell the diadem might be. We'll catch you up later, yeah?"

As he spoke those words there was quite a commotion with the Weasleys, who had been moving towards the doors. Percy Weasley had just stumbled in through the tunnel. Shocked silence filled the room.

Draco spun around to put his back to the room and Hermione heard him stifle a gasp. She looked and saw he was clutching his arm again. She put her hand on top of his and he opened his eyes to look at her. "This is it. He's called them. Even if he's still in the cave, they'll know to be ready for anything when he arrives. They'll be here soon." He looked up at Harry who was rubbing his scar and they nodded grimly at each other.

"Let's do it then. Give the Weasleys another couple minutes then clear them out and destroy the cup. We're headed to the Great Hall." His gaze left Hermione's and fixed on a certain member of the Weasley clan and Hermione's heart broke to see the mixture of love and fear etched on his face. She knew that worry and longing for Ginny had never been far from his mind since Dumbledore's funeral the year before. He straightened his shoulders and left the room with Ron.

While fences were being mended by the Weasleys, Narcissa Malfoy was worrying about her own family. She'd felt her mark burn a few moments ago and knew that the Dark Lord was gathering his Death Eaters and heading to Hogwarts. Lucius had come to tell her to stay put, to hide if necessary. Part of her agreed with him. She didn't want to risk the baby by going with them but she _knew_ that Draco would be there, fighting with the Order. She knew that the girl was never far from Potter's side and if the Dark Lord was taking a force to Hogwarts then Potter there. The Granger girl was with Potter, and Draco was with her. She knew in her heart that he would be there and would be involved in the inevitable battle. She also knew that if the girl was fighting, Draco would be fighting right beside her, if not for the Order, he would fight to simply keep her safe. Deep in thought, she walked into her vast closet and traded her green silk robes for a set of slim black pants she wore when horseback riding. She also changed fabulous heels to more functional riding boots. Somehow the girl had opened up something in her son that she had thought to be non-existent. She had the feeling the two were going to be inseparable so supposed she'd have to quit calling her 'the girl' eventually. Today was not that day though. She had a Dark Lord to undermine and a son to save.


	19. The First Attack

A/N: I was a bit disheartened by the lack of reviews for the last chapter, so I thought I'd try to redeem myself for what must've been a sub-par chapter with some horcrux killing and the beginnings of a battle scene. Tell me what you think... pretty please!

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Hermione and Draco watched a bit uncomfortably as the Weasleys wrapped up their session with Percy.

"Um, Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione interrupted nervously, "I'm sorry, I hate to ask but Draco and I need to use the room for something and everyone has to be out for it to change for us."

"Oh! Not at all dear! We'll just head to the Great Hall to see what the plans are – GINEVRA WEASLEY!" She whipped an arm out and snatched Ginny who'd been trying to sneak past Molly between Fred and George. "You will stay right outside the door to this room and wait until Hermione and …" she cut her eyes briefly to Draco, still unsure about his presence there. "and Draco have finished. Then you will come directly back and stay in here until one of us comes to get you."

Ginny immediately re-launched into her heated protests and Hermione pulled Draco off to the side to allow them to finish the mother-daughter screaming match. "Do you know how to use the room, besides where everything is hidden" He shook his head. "You have to walk past the door three times and think of exactly what you want. That's it." They looked back at the Weasleys who were still arguing with Ginny. She tugged Draco to the door and held it open. After a moment Mr. Weasley caught her eye and she jerked her head toward the door with a pleading expression on her face. He nodded and ushered the women toward the door, interrupting and telling Ginny sternly that she would wait in the hall until Hermione told her to come back in. She smiled thankfully at him as they passed and he patted her on the arm.

Just as they were about to close the door an elderly woman tottered out of the passageway. Straightening up she waved her wand at the opening and a wall of stone erected itself and effectively blocked anyone from entering behind her. Seemingly satisfied, she walked with surprising speed over to Hermione.

"Ah. Miss Granger, am I correct?" She questioned in a strong voice.

"Yes ma'am." Hermione eyed her ridiculous hat; it triggered something deep in her memory…

"Augusta Longbottom." The woman said. Hermione smiled as it clicked, Neville's grandmother. "You've seen my grandson?"

"Yes, Mrs. Longbottom, he's in the Great Hall. They're organizing the resistance."

"Naturally." The old woman then turned to Draco. "Young Mr. Malfoy I see."

"Yes Madam." He looked slightly nervous, not knowing what to expect from the woman.

"I've heard rumours about you recently. Good rumours for a change." She eyed him closely. "I do hope you'll continue to turn the Malfoy legacy around, boy." She turned her gaze to Hermione but continued to address Draco. "Keep this one safe. I quite like her." With that she left them and headed down the corridor to the Great Hall.

Hermione watched her go and turned back to Draco with wide eyes. He also looked taken aback by her straightforward demeanor. She stifled a giggle. He shook his head and focused his attention back on the room. As he began his first trip past the door a deep rumble echoed through the stone castle, she felt the floor tremble and felt the blast reverberate in her chest.

Draco paused and looked up at her. "Well, it's on now. Let's do this." He quickly finished his other two laps past the stretch of wall and a small iron door appeared. He opened it and they entered a medium sized stone room. Stone walls, floor, and ceiling. There was absolutely nothing flammable inside.

"I want you to wait in the hall."

"Not gonna happen." She crossed her arms over her chest.

He just sighed, "Well, I tried. We don't have time for a row about it. Will you at least stand back? This isn't the easiest spell to do and I don't exactly have a lot of practice." She nodded and pressed her back to the wall next to the now closed door. She removed the cup from her bag and handed it to him.

"By the way… they tend to put up a fight. I'm not sure what they do because I've never been there when one was killed… but… please be careful." She leaned up on her toes and kissed him for luck.

He nodded and walked to the center of the room. He set the cup down and backed up two paces. After a second he took another step for good measure. He rolled his shoulders and took a couple deep breaths. As he pointed his wand the cup began to vibrate and a high whine issued from it.

"_Pyrafiendos igniros!" _He said confidently and a burst of red and orange flame shot out of his wand with a roar. It was like a muggle flame thrower except the flames only went about ten feet and shapes and forms could _just_ be seen in the flames moving and changing too quickly to be identified. When the fire hit the cup a sound like a lightning strike ripped through the room and fetid black smoke billowed up and took the shape of a screaming face. The face flew at them and let out a sound that made the hair on her neck and arms stand up. She ducked instinctively but the smoke touched her without any harm except making her gag. Draco Vanished the flames and helped her out the door to the clear air of the hallway. They both eyed the open door, coughing and wiping streaming eyes. When he had caught his breath and the smoke had dissipated Draco strode back into the room and retrieved the charred remains of the last known relic of Helga Hufflepuff. He held it out to her and they studied it a moment before she took it and placed it back into her bag. She went to peer out the window and could see flashes of light at the boundary to the school and echoes of yells could be heard both inside and out. She turned back to Draco to see him standing tensely, looking down the hallway, his wand half-raised. He turned and looked back the other way.

"Someone's here…." He said, his jaw clenched and his narrowed eyes were searching the area around them. She lifted her own wand and looked around, fully trusting his assessment. Suddenly they heard a chuckle but it echoed off the stone walls and they weren't sure of its origin. Then two Disillusionment charms were lifted and Crabbe appeared on one side of them and Goyle appeared on the other. Draco and Hermione whipped around in a smooth, seamless movement to stand back to back, each facing one of the Slytherins. If Hermione ever had time to look back on this little encounter she would be very impressed at that move, it really was quite impressive.

"I see you've finally learned how to cast a Disillusionment Charm then, have you?" Draco asked condescendingly, Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.

Crabbe was apparently the spokesman of the two, he ignored Draco's question and changed the subject. "Well, well, Malfoy. What do we got here? Potter's pet mudblood?" He laughed crudely. "Feel like sharing?"

"Don't be stupid Crabbe you know I don't share." Inside Draco was fuming. These two morons had ridden on his coattails for years and now they had wands pointed at him and his woman? Oh hell no.

"So where'd you go when you left mummy's?" Crabbe began to taunt Draco but he tuned him out. That was the thing with the arrogance of purebloods; they liked to talk an enemy to death before they actually struck. They wasted any chance they had of taking their opponent by surprise because they had to brag and try to engage in some verbal sparring first. Instead of listening he subtly reached back and touched Hermione's side. He touched three finger tips to her hip and pressed for a moment, he felt her shift. Then he lifted them, slowly pressed one back down, firmly, so that she knew it was very deliberate. Then a second and when the third one touched their simultaneous shouts of "_Stupefy!_" echoed down the hallway and overwhelmed Crabbe and Goyle, who collapsed into undignified heaps on the floor. He had to say, he was extremely pleased that worked. He Summoned and pocketed their wands and turned around and grinned at her.

"Granger, can you read my fucking mind or what?" He questioned and she laughed. He grabbed her face and smacked a noisy kiss on her lips, thrilled that they had worked together as a team so well and had throttled Crabbe and Goyle with hardly any effort at all. His euphoria was short-lived, however.

"Back the fuck off, Malfoy!" Came a voice from behind him. He whipped around with his wand drawn and encountered a red-faced Ron Weasley with Harry standing just behind him removing the invisibility cloak. "You touch her again and I'll hex your bollucks off!" Ron had his wand drawn and point in Draco's face. Harry, on the other hand, only had eyes for Hermione. They were filled with anger, concern, and disappointment.

"A question for you, Weasley: what claim do you think you have on Hermione?" Draco calmly asked, his voice laced with steel. Ron spluttered for a second and Draco plowed on before he could get it together and form a coherent response. "None. What Hermione does or does not do with me is none of your business unless she decides to tell you about it. So you can just keep your ginger mouth shut, because nothing between her and I has anything to do with you." Draco glared down into Ron's still-reddening face.

Hermione decided it was time to move on and refocus them on what was important. She stepped in between Ron and Draco and waited until Ron looked at her. "We'll talk about this tomorrow, yeah? We're a little busy with a _battle against Voldemort_ to discuss my love life." She waited, looking between Harry and Ron until they each nodded. She pulled the charred cup out of her bag and handed it to Ron. "Another one down. Did you find anything out about the diadem?"

There was silence for a moment and she knew that Harry and Ron were struggling between the desire to address the situation between her and Draco and knowing that bigger things were going on. A blast shook the corridor they were in and as dust rained down Harry finally cleared his throat and answered.

"Yeah, I spoke with the Gray Lady; turns out she's Helena Ravenclaw. The diadem is in the Room of Requirement, I remember seeing it when I hid my potions book. Can you believe it? I _touched_ the fucking thing!"

Hermione gasped, "You know where it is?!"

"Yup. I put a wig on an ugly bust of an old warlock and put the diadem on top so that I could find my book when I went back for it. I'm not a hundred percent sure which aisle, but it shouldn't take us more than ten minutes." Another boom sounded outside and they heard screams. Hermione was staring open-mouthed at Harry and Ron was still glaring daggers at Malfoy.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go! We kill it then it's down to him and the snake! That's doable." Draco marched back to the blank stretch of wall and in three quick passes opened the room to them. "Alright Potter, lead the way." The four of them entered and Harry gave them brief descriptions and they each chose an aisle and ran down, looking for the bust with the wig and tiara. As they trotted up their respective aisles, Harry recounted in a deceptively light voice that while they h ad been in the room burning up the cup they had missed Voldemort addressing all of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, telling them to hand Harry over and he would leave and everyone would be safe.

"I hope you don't believe that, Harry James Potter!" She shouted to him over the mound of junk between them.

She heard him heave a breath and grudgingly answered, "I don't. I know there's no way around this." She didn't believe that he wasn't taking full responsibility of every injury and death that occurred tonight onto himself. She would address it tomorrow if they were still here.

She was nearly jogging, Harry had told her it was near the far end of the aisle so she was only giving the things she was passing a cursory glance. Draco and Harry had both already reached the ends of their aisles and Ron was too far off to tell exactly where he was but with his long legs he was probably there also. She increased her speed when she heard a victorious shout from Harry.

"Hot damn, I found it!" He exclaimed. She rounded the end of her aisle to see the three men staring at the diadem perched atop the bust just as Harry had described. "Can you believe he was arrogant enough to believe he was the only person who would ever discover the Room of Requirement? I mean, look at all the shit that's in here! It looks like a third of the population has known about it." Harry moved forward and picked up the diadem. After examining it a moment he handed it to Draco. "Alright Malfoy, do your thing." Then he bent down and picked up a tatty old book from a drawer underneath the bust and grinned sheepishly at Hermione."

"Harry! I can't believe you're-" she started to rant at him, but he cut her off.

"No time, Hermione! We've got a thirty foot python to kill and a dark lord to assassinate!" He interrupted a little gleefully; apparently he was elated at their successes of the past few hours. "What are you waiting for, Malfoy?"

"I can't do it with the room like this, this place is a tinderbox." He replied as they headed quickly for the doors.

"Could I see the diadem?" Hermione asked Draco. "I'd like to get a look before we annihilate it. You know as much as I love killing a part of Voldemort's soul, it's really a shame that we have to destroy all these artifacts to do it." She took it from Draco and marveled that she was holding a thousand year old tiara that once belonged to one of the four founders. She could make out the delicate script that read "_Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure_." Though it was tarnished and caked with dust in the nooks and crannies, it was still stunningly beautiful. As they reached the hall she sighed and handed it back to Draco. He took it and paced again by the wall and the same iron door appeared. When Draco opened it the other three immediately made to follow him and he turned back with an exasperated expression.

"Do you really have to follow me in here? This spell is hard to control and I'd hate to be responsible for roasting The Chosen One alive." He scowled at them.

"Malfoy, you think I'm going to pass on a chance to watch while a piece of Voldemort's soul is destroyed? I think not." Harry replied with a note of finality.

Draco studied him a moment. "Fine. Stand behind Weasley then, you too Hermione." He ignored Ron's indignant sputter at Draco's insinuation that he wouldn't mind roasting him and walked into the room. Hermione saw that the room had an added feature since last time: a low fireplace with a large chimney. Draco walked forward and sat the diadem down inside the hearth and stood back. He looked to see that Hermione and Harry were indeed behind Ron and in easy reach of the door should anything go wrong. Satisfied with their situation he pointed his wand and muttered the spell again. Again the red flames shot out of his wand and hit the diadem with a blast like a cannon. The same thick smoke billowed up, luckily the majority of it went up the chimney, and a thick tar-like substance oozed out from between the jewels. A furious roar echoed in the stone chamber, muffled slightly as it seemed to come from inside the chimney. They all stood wide-eyed as Draco closed the spell and the roar faded and died. Draco walked forward and kicked the diadem out of the fireplace with the toe of his boot.

"What's up with the sludge? The cup didn't do that." He looked to Harry for an explanation.

"I don't know. They've all acted differently. The locket spouted mine and Hermione's heads out of it and spoke in Voldemort's voice and tried to fuck with Ron's mind so he wouldn't kill it. It was bizarre."

"What?! You told me it just screamed!" She smacked him on the arm.

"Shit. No time, Hermione!" He repeated again, heading for the door. "We've got a thirty foot python to kill and a dark lord to assassinate!" As soon as he opened the door the moment of levity passed as they could tell the Death Eaters had breached the castle and the state of the battle inside the walls had worsened considerably while they were in the room.

"Potter, Weaselbee, here," Draco passed them the extra wands they had taken from Crabbe and Goyle. "Always helps to have an extra, yeah?" Harry and Ron stopped in their tracks and stared at him confusedly. "Hermione and I've already got an extra each." He explained, thinking that the demented duo was confused about the wands.

"Malfoy… today you've killed two pieces of Voldemort's soul, given me a spare wand and you haven't insulted me a single time." Harry looked as though Draco had just declared that he was the Queen of England. "If you'll just stay away from Hermione I might not mind having you on our side."

Draco grinned and put his arm around Hermione's shoulder and said, "No deal, Potter." Before Harry or Ron could respond to Draco's comment, excited yells sounded right around the corner and all four spun around to face that direction. They relaxed when it was Fred, George, and Percy that came thundering down the hall. They were followed directly, however, by five masked Death Eaters who were rapidly firing spells at the fleeing Weasleys.

Draco, Hermione, Harry, and Ron immediately began firing spells as Percy, Fred, and George ducked and ran nearly doubled over so that spells could be shot over their heads. Draco had to subdue the urge to protect Hermione because he knew if he tried they would both be distracted by her bitching at him about it and would therefore be at a bigger risk than if he'd just let her fight. He really had no qualms about AK'ing these bastards, but decided that Potter would get his knickers in a twist and Hermione probably wouldn't be too happy either. Damn patsy Gryffindors. So Stunners it was then. By the time the fleeing Weasleys reached them two out of five of their pursuers were on the ground, Stunned. The three turned back around and went on the offensive all of them advancing on the Death Eaters, glad to have the numbers in their favor. Draco blocked a jet of purple light that looked similar to something his Auntie Bella was fond of using, which meant it would probably expel his guts through his left nostril or something equally horrendous if it hit him. Hermione got the man, who still had his wand arm outstretched, with a quick "_Stupefy!_" and down he went. Percy had just hit the taller of the two remaining Death Eaters with a Jelly-Legs jinx and his hood fell of revealing him to be Pius Thicknesse. He, George, and Ron all cast a spell at the other man and he fell immediately under the combination of their spells. With all five of them down Draco walked forward to collect their wands as the Weasleys joked about Percy taking down the minister of magic. Just as he reached the second man he was thrown to the ground and pummeled with debris by a blast that shook the castle, he could hear Hermione scream and shouts from Harry and the Weasley men. When he scrambled up and turned around his blood ran cold: the very wall of the castle had been blown open and half the ceiling had fallen in.

"Hermione!" He bellowed as he scrambled over piles of stone and masonry. Through the dark and the dust he saw movement and tried to get to those trapped in the rubble. Suddenly a cry rent the air and Draco's stomach dropped; this meaning of this cry would translate into any language: loss, disbelief, despair. He turned to see Percy grabbing at one of the twins whose eyes were open and staring. Damn. He'd never particularly cared for any of the Weasleys but he'd disliked the twins least of any of them. He'd never admit that he enjoyed their pranks but there were several that he'd wished he thought of first. While everyone had frozen to stare in shock at the fallen twin, jets of light had begun coming through the newly blasted whole in the wall.

Harry sprang into action, "Malfoy! Get Hermione! Guys, help me move Fred!" He crawled out from under the rubble and moved to pull Percy off of Fred. Ron and George also began scrambling to help. Draco turned his focus to Hermione who was having trouble moving the rubble enough to free herself. He climbed over to her, she screamed and pointed over his shoulder and he whipped around to see spiders the size of hippogriffs climbing over the wall.

"Fuck! _Stupefy!_" He stunned five spiders one after the other and they flew back into the darkness. When none immediately appeared he turned back to Hermione and dug her out as gently as possible.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" He asked hurriedly. Please, let her be alright.

"Just beat up a bit. You?" She answered.

"I'll be fine as soon as I get you out of this fucking rubble." He growled. He shifted a last large piece and she sprang to her feet.

"Fred... is he…?" She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and he put his arm around her and pulled her back into a safer part of the hallway, away from the gaping hole in the side of the castle.

"I'm sorry, baby. He's gone." He pulled her close and she buried her face in his chest, he felt her shoulders shaking with sobs. His dilemma on how to comfort her was interrupted by a shout from Harry.

"Ron, no! Help me out here, Malfoy!" Draco looked up to see George and Percy rush past him, their expressions contorted into rage. Harry was attempting to stop Ron, who outweighed him by quite a bit, from following them. Ron's face was splotchy and red. He and Hermione both rushed to Harry's aid. "Come on, Ron, we can't just run off and fight, we've got to get him and the snake!" Harry was shouting over Ron's protests. Draco grabbed Ron's other arm and Hermione put both her hands on his chest and shoved him back a full step to get his attention.

"Listen Ron!" She demanded through her own tears. "We'll all be dead by morning unless we kill the snake and kill him. _That's_ how we'll pay them back for Fred! And we _will_ fight; we'll have to go get to him." Draco relaxed his grip and stepped away as Ron seemed to finally hear her. He knew if Weaselbee realized he was touching him, he'd freak out all over again. Draco had no desire to be the object of any misplaced anger.

"Hey, Potter…." Harry looked at him. "What if we tell everyone to go for the snake? I mean, does it have to be one of us who kills it?" How he'd just managed to have an 'us' with the Golden Trio he had no idea… it made him queasy.

Harry paused and thought a moment. "No, it doesn't have to be one of us, but she'll have to be killed on the first attempt. If he sees that spells are being aimed at her he'll send her away and then we'll have to hunt her down."

"Right. Didn't think of that." He watched Hermione scrubbing her face with her hands trying to stem the tide of tears over Fred. "So. Where the fuck is the bastard?" He looked between the three of them and when no one responded he turned to Potter. "Do your brain connection thing and figure out where he is." Harry looked at Hermione as if for permission and after a slight hesitation she nodded. What was up with that? Why would he need her permission? Eh, he'd ask her later.

Potter closed his eyes for a moment, his jaws clenched and sweat beaded on his brow. His hands began to shake and Draco shot glances at Hermione and Ron, but neither of them looked anymore alarmed than they had by the previous events. Was this freak show the norm for one of these excursions into the Dark Lord's mind?

After a couple more uncomfortable minutes Potter gave a dramatic twitch and opened his eyes. He looked between Ron and Hermione and said "He's in the Shrieking Shack the snake is with him." Now his eyes went to Draco. "He just sent your dad to find Snape." Draco blinked, he wasn't going to admit it, but he was nervous about meeting his father again.

"He's just… hiding? He isn't even fighting?" the Weasel demanded.

"He doesn't need to. He knows I'll come for him by the end of the night." Hermione started to protest but Harry shook his head and turned back to Draco. "Your dad was trying to talk Voldemort into calling off the fighting. Why?"

"What? He's trying to get him to stop it?" Draco ran his hands through his hair roughly. "I dunno. I thought he'd be right in the thick of things, murdering every Muggleborn and bloodtraitor he could find." He thought another moment. "I'm sure he's got an agenda, Lucius doesn't do anything without one, but I've got no clue what it is."

Harry stared hard at him a second longer then another castle-shaking blast brought their attention to more important matters than the motivations of Lucius Malfoy.

"Right." Harry said, "I've got to get to Voldemort and the snake. I'll take the tunnel down, you guys-"

"We're coming with you, Harry." Hermione said, and Draco knew by the look on her face that Potter should save his breath arguing, but apparently Potty wasn't quite as smart as he was.

"No, Hermione, listen-" he tried again.

"No time, Harry!" He could see a small smirk forming on her lips despite the trauma of Fred's death and the battle. "We've got a thirty foot python to kill and a dark lord to assassinate!"

"Dammit." Harry grimaced as his annoying words were handed back to him. "Well we won't all four fit under the invisibility cloak and there's no way the four of us can make it down there without anyone stopping us. We're all at the top of the list for the Death Eaters."

"Here's an idea, how about Malfoy just buggers off?" Ron said bitterly. Draco rolled his eyes and ignored him.

"You and Weasley take the cloak, Hermione and I can Disillusion ourselves well enough to make it there unseen."

"Alright, if we're separated we'll meet you at the willow. I've got the map, I'll find you." Everyone nodded, even though he didn't know what map Potter was talking about. "Try not to get drawn in to any duels, Voldemort is our target and we'll never get there if we stop to help every fighter." Harry reminded them. Then he threw the cloak over himself and Ron. If Draco had ever been jealous of anything of Potter's it was that fucking cloak. Damn he wanted one. He heard the two idiots mumbling to each other under the cloak as they moved away. Hopefully they were smart enough to shut their mouths soon.

He reached for Hermione's hand and suddenly found his arms full of her. She had launched herself into his arms. He nearly took a step back in surprise. She grabbed his face with both hands and pressed a hard, desperate kiss to his lips which he returned with equal fervor. She broke away and looked into his eyes searchingly, hers welling with unshed tears. "Whatever happens tonight…" She cleared her throat and continued, "I love you." She kissed him again, hard and quick. "I'd go through all this again if it meant I was with you."

"I'm not good at this showing emotion thing but I'll work on it. Starting tomorrow, yeah?" He squeezed her one more time.

"Tomorrow." She smiled tremulously and took his outstretched hand and they both tapped themselves on the top of their heads and wordlessly vanished from sight.


	20. Red and Black

A/N: You know what's exciting! Coming up on 20,000 views! Yay! Y'all rock! I hope you enjoy the chapter. :)

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Red - the blood of angry men!  
Black - the dark of ages past!  
Red - a world about to dawn!  
Black - the night that ends at last!

Hands clasped so they wouldn't lose each other in the chaos and because they were nearly invisible, they took off after Harry and Ron. Hermione was nearly numb from shock at losing Fred and worry about whom else would fall by morning. She hoped, not for the first time, that the charm she'd cast on her parents would be strong enough for them to live long happy lives never knowing what they had lost if she was unable to bring them home. Some of her numbness had eased at Draco's last comment. _Tomorrow_. Did he really believe they had a tomorrow? _She_ didn't think they did. She'd gone with Harry with almost absolute belief that they'd be killed in the attempt to rid the world of Voldemort. They were teenagers against the most evil man in wizarding history! It was a strange twist of fate that Draco Malfoy, the grouchiest person she'd known in her life, besides Snape, had a better outlook on this than she did. Perhaps she should reevaluate… Realizing this wasn't really the time or place for such musings she wrenched her mind back to the present. They came around a staircase that led to the third floor and saw their first active fighters. Lee and George were dueling one masked man and as they seemed to have it fully under control she felt no worry when Draco didn't slow as they passed. George and Lee were excellent duelers and there were two of them against on Death Eater. They were fine. As they descended another flight of stairs the sounds began to change and become more distinct. They could hear angry yells, shouted curses, blasts as spells missed and hit stone or glass, and shrieks and grunts when they met their mark. She noticed new odors also. The rest of the castle had just smelled of the disturbed dust, here it smelled a bit like burning, like a pan put on a hot stove with nothing in it. She could smell sweat and the sickly coppery scent of blood. As they ran down the corridor that opened to the main staircase to the front door of the castle the source of the blood became clear. This was obviously where the worst of the fighting was taking place. Judging by some of the bodies that littered the ground one of the death eaters was casting something similar to Sectumsempra. She saw the bloodied body of a Ravenclaw whose name she couldn't remember. Blood had soaked through his shirt and robes and had formed a sickening puddle that was dripping off the balcony into the entrance hall below. Swallowing back the bile that rose in her throat she let Draco pull her on. Attempting to lock down the horror she forced her eyes to focus on their goal: the front door. Mentally putting blinders on herself, she refused to see Neville dueling, or Trelawney launching crystal balls, or McGonagall with her hair fallen down fighting furiously with two masked men, or Mr. Weasley with blood running down one side of his face. She tried so hard not to see any of those things and tried to hang on to the numbness she'd felt earlier, but halfway across the entrance hall she saw Fenrir Greyback with his face buried in the neck of a girl with curly brown hair, it might've been Lavender. She couldn't leave anyone to that fate. Even knowing that they were trying to get out the door undetected she sent a Blasting curse at Greyback and hoped to hell it at least incapacitated him. She really thought she would be alright having killed someone like him…. Someone who literally preyed on children. She glanced back and saw several spells shoot through the area where she'd been when she'd cast the curse at Greyback. Someone had obviously seen where the spell had come from and was hoping the culprit was still standing there, but since she'd shot the curse on the run, she was long gone by then.

They finally made it out the door and she gratefully took gulps of the cooler night air, but they were immediately running again as they realized the majority of the fighting was not in the entrance hall, but on the lawn out front. Voldemort had brought several giants with him and they were in an all-out brawl with Grawp, whom she could now tell was indeed an undersized giant as Hagrid had told them. Grawp was surprisingly holding his own against them though. Maybe having been picked on his whole life he'd learned how to fight back properly.

They carefully skirted the giants' crushing feet and rushed down the sloping lawn toward the Whomping Willow. She could see bodies littering the ground illuminated by the flashes of spells. Draco pulled her on as she involuntarily slowed down as they neared one, she was struggling against the urge to stop and help everyone that she could.

"Come on, love, think big picture." He urged and tugged on her hand again. She nodded forgetting that he could see her and increased her pace again. Her throat was now painfully aching from the tears and sobs she was holding back. Later, she told herself. Later she would give in and cry for all these poor souls…

They finally reached the willow, which was flailing and slashing its long whip-like branches faster than she'd ever seen. Too bad it couldn't get up and walk then it could help them out. Although she wasn't sure how discerning it was… it would probably kill everyone.

"Harry?" Hermione called softly, clutching her burning side and trying to catch her breath. She stared at the knot at the base of the tree remembering when Crookshanks had shocked them all by weaving expertly through the wild branches and freezing the tree. As she was watching she saw a small branch mysteriously fly and hit the knot. She smiled as the tree stilled and she felt Draco's hand jerk in hers. She knew he was wondering what was going on. She pulled him forward and led him into the tunnel at the tree's roots. Once they were concealed inside the tunnel she lifted their Disillusionment charms and as soon as they were visible Harry and Ron also appeared, having taken the cloak off.

Harry spoke quietly, "He's in there with Snape. Let's go as quickly and quietly as possible. Snape knows this tunnel is here so we've got to be extremely careful." They all nodded back to him. "Malfoy you take the rear and watch your back, yeah?" Draco nodded again.

They crept forward somewhat clumsily, and she cast Silencing charms on all of them so that they small pebbles and debris they dislodged didn't give them away. "Nice one." She heard one of the two up ahead whisper, she wasn't sure which. It didn't seem like so long ago that they had been here on the night that Sirius came back, but this journey was much more uncomfortable than the last one. They were essentially crawling when they had merely to stoop that night. Eventually Harry paused and she could just see a bit of light up ahead. He reached back for the invisibility cloak and whispered for them to stay put. He put on the cloak and vanished. Ron looked back at her and she gestured for him to get just a bit closer. They couldn't hear anything where they were. They moved up another five feet or so and stopped when they could just make out the deep slow tones of Snape's voice. They couldn't make out the words, but when Ron shifted to sit and lean against the wall she could see the light from the tunnel opening seemed to be filtering through some kind of shelf or piece of furniture. Who had blocked the tunnel up? That made no sense… It dawned on her that her knees and hands were quite uncomfortable with the small rocks digging into them so she mimicked Ron and sat down on the floor. She felt Draco settle in close behind her and she leaned back against him, more for emotional support than physical. They heard the high nasal voice of Voldemort responding to Snape and they all immediately stilled. She fished around in her bag and happily pulled out two Extendable Ears. She passed one up to Ron and held the other up to share with Draco. As the Ear wriggle closer to the hole Voldemort's voice became clearer and clearer until it sounded like they were right in the room with him. They listened in mute horror as he explained to Snape his problem with the Elder wand.

Narcissa was developing a habit of pacing and she did not like it. But right now there was nothing for it but to pace. She was striding back and forth on the edge of the grounds watching the fighting. She wanted so badly to rush into the castle and find her son, but knew that she couldn't risk the baby by jumping into the middle of a battle. She also knew that Draco would be furious with her if she let something happen to herself. She knew one of the only reasons he had left the Manor was the belief that she would be safe from everything while she carried what was believed to be the Dark Lord's son. She cursed silently and fluently in her mind, this waiting was torture. She had formed the beginnings of a plan, but the opportunity for it was not yet ripe.

Hermione listened, barely breathing as Voldemort's voice grew softer and more menacing. Because she and Malfoy were sharing the Extendable Ear, they only caught the gist of what was going on. Whatever it was, it was not boding well for Snape. Hermione had always held an incredibly deep respect for Severus Snape, even though he treated her so poorly. He was absolutely brilliant and had a way of looking at you like he was reading what was written on your soul. So maybe he was using Occlumency. Whatever. Even when he had killed Dumbledore she had had a hard time letting that respect go. Part of her always hoped that some evidence would turn up that would justify his actions. She felt Draco shift his weight behind her and was reminded that Snape was very close to Draco and his family. She had a very bad feeling about this.

Suddenly she heard the strangled hissing that she recognized to be Parseltongue and heard Snape gasp. Then a brief scuffle followed by the sound of a body falling to the floor.

"I regret it." Said Voldemort's high, cold voice. Which, to Hermione did not sound regretful at all. They all sat motionless with bated breath as the sound of Voldemort moving about the room got farther away and then was gone completely. Just as she was wondering what to do now, whatever blocked the entrance was shifted and a second later she saw Harry standing up inside the Shrieking Shack, taking off the cloak. She and Ron instantly scrambled forward followed quickly by Draco. By the time they got into the room Harry was on his knees beside a struggling Snape. It was quickly obvious that the snake had bitten him in the throat, the blood loss was incredible. Harry shocked her by putting his hands on the wounds, trying to staunch the flow of blood. She was further shocked when a silvery white substance began leaking out of Snape's eyes as tears. She realized they were memories and immediately conjured a flask and handed it to Harry. As Harry collected the memory tears in the flask Draco suddenly grabbed her bag and rummaged frantically inside. He pulled out another flask and threw himself to his knees beside Snape, popped the stopper out and poured the contents down Snape's throat.

"Blood Replenishing Potion." He said somewhat breathlessly. Snape shook his head slightly.

"Draco, he's bleeding faster than the potion works. We've got no way to close the wounds, that's how the venom works. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do." Ever the student, she looked to Snape automatically for confirmation, but Snape was staring hard at Harry and did not acknowledge her.

But Draco interrupted. "Come on, there must be something!" Hermione wasn't sure what part Snape played in Draco's life, but she suspected they were quite close.

It was Snape who, with great effort, haltingly answered. "No. I have finished." He held Harry's gaze. "You have… all that you need." The four of them stared as his face slackened and his dark eyes fixed on a point that they couldn't see. Then a last rattle of breath escaped his mouth and he lay still and silent.

She wiped at the tears coursing down her face. Traitor or not, she'd never watched anyone die before. Certainly not from this brutal a death. She took a shuddering breath and tried to reign in her emotions, but a thundering voice filled the room and the four of them were instantly on their feet pointing their wands in all directions. Her hair stood up on her neck and adrenaline flooded her body as she recognized the voice as Voldemort's. It took all of them a moment to realize that he wasn't back in the room about to murder then where they stood, but speaking aloud magically to all in the area and castle. She stared hard at Harry as he listened with his eyes shut tight to Voldemort calling his Death Eaters back and goading Harry to meet him in the Forest within an hour. He was absolutely covered in Snape's blood.

She was already shaking her head 'no' when the voice was finally silent and Harry opened his eyes to look at her. She couldn't stand that look in his eyes. It _killed_ her that he wouldn't understand that he was just as much a victim in this as any of them. It just happened to be he who was declared the Chosen One; he didn't cause any of this. She could tell he was already deciding to go into the Forest and meet him.

She rushed for a way to distract him. "Let's go back to the castle" she said quickly. "Let's regroup and come up with a plan to get to Nagini." After a beat she grabbed Harry's arm and led him back to the tunnel. She knew the other two would follow.

By the time they made it out of the other side of the tunnel no one alive was left outside except for a few people checking the collapsed bodies for possible survivors. She ushered Harry past them, they didn't have time to be a part of this aspect of battle and she didn't want him to start thinking about those they were leaving behind on the grass. The grounds were eerily silent and dark now. No screams, no flashes of spells. They walked through the front doors to find an equally silent castle. The entrance hall was in ruins, chunks of bannister in the floor, emeralds coated the stones from the smashed Slytherin hourglass, blood stains, even a few with drag marks. Several Death Eaters' bodies were lying unclaimed amid the mess. They walked in and stopped, staring at the damage. Draco nudged a Crystal ball with his toe and it rolled a few feet before its momentum was arrested by debris.  
"The Great Hall, maybe?" She suggested. All three men shrugged and they picked their way through the mess to the doors of the hall. Her stomach clinched and she felt all the blood leave her face as she came within sight of what lie inside. She saw row after row of friends and allies… lying as if sleeping. She walked through the doors in a daze, barely aware of anything around her except the bodies. Her feet carried her past fellow students, some whose name she knew, others she didn't.

She dimly hear Mrs. Weasley cry, "Ron! Oh thank goodness!" She swept him up into a teary hug and led him over to where the rest of the Weasleys were congregated. She knew why. She knew who they were gathered around. Little though she wanted to, she slowly floated in their direction. Her progress stopped when she her eyes fell on Remus's body. Remus. No, not Remus. Another person whom she'd always had a special connection with. The one member of the Order who'd understood her love of literature and learning and would willingly engage her in deep conversations. She sort of saw him as a wizard uncle. She wiped her eyes furiously and dropped to her knees by his head. She gently combed his hair out of his face, straightened his collar and wiped some blood off of his face. She saw Tonks lying at his left side and her tears came faster. Tonks. She's always seen Tonks as a sort of older cousin. The one who taught you how to get away with things while they stayed with you when your parents were out. The one you talked to about boys and growing up. The one who was old enough to offer good advice, but young enough to let loose and have a lot of fun with. Tonks' left arm was at a strange angle, she gently arranged it to a more natural position resting across her stomach. After a moment she stood. Draco's voice broke through her daze.

He cleared his throat. "She was my cousin you know." He reached out and twined his fingers through hers. "I never knew her because Father wouldn't let me associate with Andromeda's family." Hermione had forgotten that he and Tonks were related.

"They have a son. Teddy. I haven't gotten to meet him." She turned into his chest and fisted her hands in the back of his shirt for a moment. "Now he'll never know his parents." He held her for a few minutes as she tried to get her sobbing back under control.

After a moment she pulled back and attempted to smile up at him to let him know she was okay but it came more as a grimace. She took a deep breath and turned to face what was even harder than seeing Remus and Tonks: Fred.

She moved into the crowd of redheads, knowing that Draco would wait behind them for her. She looked at Mr. Weasley's tear stained face and the control she'd managed to regain left her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face his chest just as she'd done Draco a moment ago. But this time it was giving comfort instead of receiving it. Feeling Mr. Weasley cry against her hair was one of the hardest things she'd ever done. She felt her heart literally break. The thought of such a strong man reduced to tears was nearly unbearable. She loved Mr. Weasley as a second father and his sorrow tore at her heart. After several long, torturous moments he released her and she stepped closer to Fred. Molly was lying across his chest, inconsolable. Ron was sitting nearby, his face red and blotchy and his eyes far away. George was sitting across Fred's body from Molly, his eyes were also blank. She understood the numbness that sank in to combat the grief. To dilute it for a little while.

She knelt at Fred's head. Fred. Her tears fell onto his cold face. As much as the twins had aggravated her, she loved them. She'd even crushed on them from time to time, with their tall frames, handsome faces and inescapable humor. Fred has always had a knack for knowing when Ron had upset her, which wasn't infrequent, and would somehow prank him and let her know that he'd done it for her. She'd never had real brothers, but between Harry and the Weasley twins, she'd found herself with three. She gave in to the sobs and collapsed to rest her forehead on Fred's. She reached out and grasped Molly's hand and they gripped tightly, holding on to each other they spent several minutes weeping over Fred's still form. After a little while she stood up and scrubbed her face with the heels of her hands. She stepped out of the cluster of Weasleys, running hand down Ginny's arm and squeezing her hand as she passed. She found Draco standing awkwardly about ten feet away. As she walked to him he held his arms open and she went into them gladly, tucking her head under his chin. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She allowed herself to wallow in his arms and the comfort he provided until her breathing leveled out and her head stopped swimming. She gave him a last squeeze then backed out of his embrace. Smoothing the flyaway hairs that had escaped from her braid back away from her face she surveyed the living standing in the immediate area.

"Wait…. Where's Harry?" She asked, panic stifling grief in less than a heartbeat.

Narcissa stalked in the shadows around the collection of Death Eaters in the Forbidden Forest. No one knew she was here, not even Lucius. She could see the Dark Lord sitting motionless waiting on the Potter boy. Her sister was pacing fretfully, near enough to hear if he called her but far enough away that her pacing wouldn't bother him. Her husband was sitting unobtrusively about thirty feet away from the Dark Lord on a boulder, looking disdainfully around him. Only Lucius could look proud and haughty sitting on a boulder in the middle of the woods.

A death eater strode forward out of the trees to her right. He walked toward the Dark Lord and stopped fifteen feet way and bowing his head respectfully –or fearfully- informed him that Potter's hour was up and that there was no sign of him.

She stayed quietly in the shadows, her Disillusionment Charm strong enough to hide her even from the Dark Lord, but she didn't want to risk being bumped into or otherwise discovered. One thing she had noticed, and encouraged, her entire life was the people incessantly underestimated her. Narcissa Black. Beautiful pureblood daughter. Narcissa Malfoy. Beautiful pureblood wife. No one had ever stopped to notice that Narcissa Black Malfoy was an incredibly intelligent, powerful witch. And that was just how she liked it. Let them think that she was just a pureblood bimbo like all the other heir-breeders and trophy wives, on the surface that's what she was. But in reality, Narcissa could've run wizarding Britain without breaking a sweat or batting an eye.

She gasped with the rest of the gathered crowd as suddenly The Boy Who Lived stood in their midst. What was he doing here? If he was killed Voldemort would return to the castle and kill any who resisted him! She knew the girl would fight and thus Draco would fight. She gritted her teeth and watched in amazement as the boy did nothing to defend himself from the Dark Lord. He actually held his arms open, away from his chest and presented a clear target for him to strike. Why would he do this? Suicide by enemy? The Dark Lord slowly advanced on the boy, his eyes seeing nothing but this inexplicable adversary. No one could understand how Harry Potter had thwarted the Dark Lord continuously since he was only a year old. He had some sort of extra sense that enabled him to triumph of the Dark Lord's attempts. Many thought it was Dumbledore, but it had been a year since the old man's death and Harry Potter was still alive. Well. For right now. Her mind raced for some course of action, but she saw it coming, they all did. Even Potter. They all watched as the Dark Lord raised his wand and fired the Killing Curse at the young man. But, all was not as they expected. Narcissa gasped again as not only Potter fell, but the Dark Lord as well and everyone within a thirty foot radius. What had happened? Had Potter again deflected the curse as he had done as a child?

Her sister scurried to the Dark Lord's side and leaned down over his prone figure.

"He's alive!" She shouted, but there was little rejoicing. Why was their lord not getting up? Why was there again not triumph over the boy? Narcissa's eyes were only for Potter. She saw one of his hands clench. Potter was alive. She knew it. All was not lost. She wanted the Dark Lord defeated as much as anyone. More than most in fact, because she had eighteen weeks left before he would discover that she carried Lucius' child and not his. If he was still in power when that time came he would kill her and the baby, Lucius, and Draco for good measure. Narcissa Malfoy was now firmly fighting against the Dark Lord. How could she stop them discovering that Potter wasn't dead?

Before she could do anything the Dark Lord scrambled to his feet.

"Is he dead?!" He screamed. He looked about him and shot a stinging hex at Lucius. "You! Lucius! See if the boy is dead!"

She watched with bated breath as Lucius hobbled over to Potter. Should she Imperious him? Lucius was an incredibly strong wizard and could throw an Imperious in a matter of a very few seconds. Even if she could get him to initially announce that Potter was dead, he would come back to himself and tell the truth in less than a minute. By the time she'd reasoned this out, it was too late to do anything. Lucius had reached the boy. He knelt down and his long hair hid both his face and Potter's. It appeared that he was listening for breathing and had his hand on Potter's chest feeling for his heartbeat. Why was he not announcing that the boy was alive? Was she mistaken? No. She'd seen the movement. She knew the boy was alive. Her husband stood and looked back to the Dark Lord.

"Dead." He said without emotion, but Narcissa saw his tell. She was one of the few people who could read her husband. He shifted his weight to his left leg. Why he did that she didn't know, but whenever he lied that was his tell. She knew he didn't realize it because she had never informed him. What wife would tell a husband her trick for knowing when he was lying? Hm. Lucius lied about Potter being alive. Did he realize the implications for their son if Voldemort returned to the castle victorious? What other reason did he have to lie to the Dark Lord? None that she could think of.

She watched in distaste as they attempted to defile Potter's body by throwing it around and casting the Cruciatus on him. Strange, but he was still able to remain limp. Did the curse have no effect on him? Amazing. She realized they would soon be on the move back to the castle and that she was in their path. She hurriedly moved away and watched as the conquering army prepared to take its victory march. She waited patiently as they moved in front of her. When all had passed she silently moved in behind the last in the group. They hurried to catch up with the mob and she hurried to catch up with them. The giants made a god-awful racket. Good, the noise should cover her activities. She moved stealthily behind Dolohov, weak bastard that he was, and cast a silent _Imperio_.

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A/N: A confession: I totally made myself cry writing about Mr. Weasley crying. So. Sad. And an apology: sorry for leaving it there! I promise the next one is coming soon!


	21. The Second Attack

A/N: I love you guys. I think I'm addicted to reviews, cause I keep posting chapters faster than I mean to just so I can read them! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

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Little people know, when  
Little people fight, we  
May look easy pickings  
But we've got some bite!  
So never kick a dog  
Because he's just a pup  
We'll fight like twenty armies  
And we won't give up  
So you'd better run for cover  
When the pup grows...

"Where is Harry?" Hermione demanded, her voice growing shrill. Ron jumped to his feet looking around. He had also been in a state of shock and had assumed, like her, that Harry had followed them into the Great Hall.

"Dumbledore's office… he's probably using the Pensieve to look at Snape's memories… right?" Ron asked hopefully. That made sense. She nodded and she grabbed Draco's hand and the three of them took off at a sprint to the Headmaster's office. They leapt over fallen statues and pieces of ceiling and up stairs two at a time until they were at the stone gargoyle that guarded the headmaster's office. He was a bit worse for wear and as the staircase seemed to be stuck half-open they sprinted up without permission. Ron was the first to make it to the top and he threw himself through the door only to find the office empty. Even the portraits were empty. The cabinet that held the Pensieve was standing open and the stone basin was still out on the desk.

"Oh, god. He's gone. He's gone to the forest." She said with a quavering voice.

Draco spoke, "Longbottom and Wood and a few others went out to start bringing people in from outside and checking for any wounded still out there, they're moving all the... fallen… from outside and out of the Hall into one of the large classrooms right off the dining hall. They've been at it for a while actually."

"Let's get back downstairs, we'll find him, Hermione." Ron tried to sound reassuring, but she knew he was worried. They all knew that he was in the forest. She'd never forgive herself for forgetting about him.

Their return trip was much the same as the first: a dead sprint. Her mind was tormenting her with images of Harry facing down Voldmort. She shook her head to clear them, and chided herself to stay in the present; it was bad enough without trying to imagine the worst. As they slid into the entrance hall Voldemort's voice echoing throughout the castle and derailed their plans of finding Harry. They stood in shock until the voice subsided, then turned and bolted out the front door to see for themselves what Voldemort had said awaited them, the sound of the footsteps of every living person in the Great Hall thundered after them. At first Hermione paid attention only to getting down the steps without breaking her neck, in truth she was quite terrified to look up. When she did, her eyes were immediately drawn to Hagrid and the small, limp form that he held so tenderly. Her scream of denial ripped painfully out of her throat and she felt her knees give. If it hadn't been for Draco catching her, she'd have gone all the way to the ground for there in Hagrid's arms lay the lifeless body of her best friend and the savior of their world. Dead. Harry. No. It couldn't be. She was barely aware of other screams and yells as others crowded around her from the entrance of the school; all that she could comprehend was a single word and thought: _No_. Her mind would not accept that Harry was dead. She watched as Neville took the lead position in front of them. It occurred to her that that should probably be her. She should take over Harry's position now that he was… gone. She could hear the crowd shouting and screaming abuse at Voldemort, but it only registered as a dull whine and buzz to her ears. Her world was upside down, nothing was as it should be. Harry had sacrificed himself for nothing, he had to know what Voldemort was not going to stop killing if he eliminated the Boy Who Lived. Why had Harry done this? She watched dully as Voldemort ordered Hagrid to lay Harry on the ground at his feet. He then began to pace victoriously by Harry's body with Nagini's huge form curled in the grass nearby. Disgusted, her eyes drifted back to her best friend. Once she looked at him again she couldn't tear her eyes away from his still form. His clothes were still covered in Snape's blood. His glasses were crooked, his mouth slightly ajar. His left trainer untied. His jumper bunched up under his arms and a couple inches of stomach exposed. She wanted to go down and readjust it so that the chill night air wouldn't touch his skin. His hands were dirty. His eyes closed. He could be sleeping. Not dead. No. Please.

She refocused on the present to discover that Voldemort had become distracted by something in his own ranks. He was studying a group on the far left side of the courtyard. Hermione looked and saw what drew his attention. She shook her head, trying to force her mind to function. A group of twenty or more Death Eaters had curiously blank expressions on their faces. A face that spoke _Confundus_ to her. She stood a little straighter trying to see over those in front of her, what was going here?

.

Draco's eyes were narrowed on the same thing Hermione's were. Had someone been Confunding Death Eaters? Voldemort was advancing on the group and he felt as if the ground shifted under his feet when his mother materialized in their midst. What the hell was she doing here? She was supposed to be safe, tucked away in the manor! She walked forward, her head held high, her eyes on his. She stepped away from the lines of fighters and was completely exposed, but her bearing was erect and regal as any royalty. She looked no older than twenty-five. Her skin was smooth, her blond hair- the same color and texture as his was braided tightly down her back. He noticed she was wearing tight black pants and knee-high boots. He rarely saw her in pants, it was odd. There were a few times in his life that Draco had truly appreciated how beautiful his mother was and this was one of those times. The woman was born to be a queen.

"Narcissa? What is the meaning of this?" Voldemort asked. She looked him directly in the eye, unusual for anyone to do, especially her. "You were to stay behind at Malfoy Manor, out of harm's way." He said, trying to get her to come to him. Then he noticed at the same time as Draco that Narcissa's arms were not empty. She was carrying a large collection of wands. Carrying them the way another woman might carry a bouquet of roses, he'd seen something with a muggle beauty queen carrying a bouquet in that fashion- cradled in her left elbow.

"I am come for my son." She said to Voldemort. Then she turned her away and stepped toward the crowd at the foot of the castle. He saw his mother flick the wand she held in her right hand- her own wand and her shield charm flew up, barely visible. Fear flooded him. Voldemort was not going to like this. Draco stepped through those in front of him and gripped his wand.

"Narcissa." Voldemort said in warning tone. "Might I remind you that you are carrying my heir? I forbid you to step any closer to the force that fights to kill us. If my heir is killed, I shall be most displeased."

Narcissa slowly turned her head back to look at him, her body language making it clear that she was not returning to him. "Do you think I would bear any child but my husband's? I'd die before I bore your bastard, half-blood spawn." Though her voice was calm and her face wore the trademark Malfoy mask, all could sense the underlying disdain.

Draco saw it coming and he knew that his mother's shield alone was not powerful enough to endure Voldemort's wrath. Apparently he was not the only one who saw the danger because at the same instant that he sent his Shield charm up between his mother and Voldemort, Hermione, Neville, Kingsley, McGonagall, and Mr. Weasley all sent theirs and Voldemort's curse deflected off of the layered shield and hit and killed Dolohov who was standing in the ranks.

Narcissa looked toward her saviors and inclined her head regally in thanks as she continued in her unhurried pace across the no-man's-land that was the courtyard. When she reached Draco, he pulled her by the arm and stepped back, putting several people between her and Voldemort. He looked down at her, somewhat in awe. It seemed that she had singled-handedly disarmed and rendered useless nearly a quarter of Voldemort's forces without spilling a single drop of blood. He was torn between anger that she put herself at risk and being insanely proud to be her son. She turned to Lee Jordan who was standing to their right and handed him all the wands.

"See that all are armed." Was all she said. She then turned back around and faced the Death Eaters without comment or change of facial expression. Lee quietly moved through the crowd and distributed wands to any who'd had theirs taken or broken.

Draco could see that Voldemort was livid and totally taken by surprise. No one had ever humiliated him like this. He could see his father's blond hair in the midst of the Death Eaters. He wondered what fate was about to befall him. Before Voldemort's thoughts could turn to Lucius, he heard Longbottom's voice tear through the air.

"See that _Lord_ Voldemort? Even if we have lost Harry we're not done! You'll never be rid of us!" A resounding cheer went up from the remnants of Hogwarts' defenders.

"A tyrant always fears those whom he oppresses, because it's only a matter of time before they overthrow him. That time has come. Harry may have lead the way, but we will finish you." Neville sounded more Slytherin with his eerily calm voice and not the righteous Gryffindor anger he'd expected. The cheers were silenced suddenly by a vicious wave of Voldemort's wand. Longbottom may be brave, but he was stupid. Draco knew he was about to be made an example by Voldemort. Sure enough he advanced on him slowly.

"What is your name, son?" He asked in a falsely sweet voice.

"I'm no son of yours, but I'm Neville Longbottom." Neville said without a trace of fear.

"Longbottom? Are you not a pureblood, boy?" Voldemort asked.

"Doesn't matter either way. I'll never follow you." Draco had to give Longbottom credit: he had brass ones. He spoke to the Dark Lord as though he were merely talking with an unpleasant stranger. He was a bloody moron for doing it, but he had bollucks.

"Well, Neville Longbottom. You will be a demonstration to Potter's rebels as to what happens to those who continue to defy me." He threw his hand into the air and in a few seconds a rumpled black shape landed in his open hand. Voldemort flicked his wand at Neville and he froze, obviously stuck in a Body Bind Curse. Then he rammed what turned out to be the sorting hat onto Neville's head. Draco tuned out whatever bullshit Voldemort was spewing and studied Neville. What was about to happen? Seemingly in response to his unspoken question Voldemort looked back at Longbottom for a moment, looking slightly amused. Without any movement or word the Sorting Hat burst in to flame. Hermione screamed and Draco clutched at her as she lunged towards Longbottom, which would've been suicidal. There must be something they could do though; burning had to be the worst death. Before he could think much farther than that several things happened simultaneously. A cacophony of voices raised in battle cries echoed across the grounds and every person spun around and looked for the source. From his height he could see that nearly one hundred people were storming up from the gates and a small heard of centaurs raced up from the forest. Then he saw a burst of movement from Longbottom and he turned to see him break the body bind, whip the hat off his head. Voldemort was still looking at the newcomers, but Nagini had seen the movement. She raised her head and eyed him. He watched Longbottom but couldn't understand the reason for his determined expression. He watched him plunge his hand into the hat and pull out the Sword of fucking Gryffindor. No fucking way. Then with an impressively smooth stroke the sword whistled through the air and cut through the snake's neck, severing the head. Every eye in the courtyard followed the head as it catapulted through the air in seeming slow motion. As the head bounced gruesomely across the stones Voldemort's roar of rage filled the air and chilled the very marrow of his bones. Longbottom was blasted back with a powerful curse and landed with a bone-jarring thud on the steps. No fewer than fifteen shield charms erupted between Voldemort and Neville and several people scrambled forward to pull him to safety.

Before he could react to the knowledge that Voldemort was mortal for the first time in decades the fastest runners of the group coming up from the gates began to pour into the courtyard. The Death Eaters turned to meet the advancing force and began to back away, overwhelmed by the numbers, and then arrows began landing in their midst as the centaurs galloped in from the Forbidden Forest. He saw several of the black-clad figures Disapparate.

Such were the numbers of the new fighters and the centaurs that the Death Eaters were driven back towards the steps of the castle and the force there waiting for them. Draco and everyone around him immediately began firing spells at the Death Eaters caught between the two groups. After a few minutes of fighting the second group had pushed the Death Eaters so far into the courtyard he was no longer able to fire spells without risking hitting the home team. He backed up the steps, trying to gain a higher vantage point and discovered that most of the people around him had the same idea. Pushed along with the crowd he re-entered the castle. Over the sounds of the fighting he heard that oaf Hagrid start bellowing. "Where's Harry? Where's Harry?" Disgust rolled through him, had someone taken Potter's body? Wasn't killing the man enough?

.

Hermione watched Neville. She was frozen in fear while he was frozen by a spell. She was horrified by the flames engulfing his head. She couldn't stand and watch Neville burn, she took a step to go to his aid, but Draco's strong arm stopped her. She started to fight against him when they were all distracted by the yells of dozens of people storming up the path to the school. She saw Charlie leading the charge and her heart soared, maybe there was hope for them yet. Then Draco's gasp caught her attention and she instantly saw the source of his distraction and watched disbelieving as Nagini's head flew through the air. She stared at it numbly where it lay bloody on the ground. That was it. He was mortal. The shock kept her rooted in place. They actually stood a chance now. They had lost Harry, but Voldemort was as mortal as the rest of them now. She came crashing back to reality as Neville crashed against the steps and threw up her shield charm before Voldemort could do any more damage. Then she was swept up the steps with the tide of bodies being pushed by the advance of the second wave. There was so much commotion she wasn't even able to get a good look at anyone to see who she was being jostled by. Finally the bottleneck released into the wider space of the Entrance Hall and she ran across to the other side, out of the press of bodies to hopefully be able to better defend or attack, whichever the situation called for. Standing in the doorway to the Great Hall she shot Stunning spells at a Death Eater who was charging her and narrowly missed being hit herself by a curse she didn't recognize. She aimed again, taking a step back as he continued his charge. This time she hit him and as he tumbled he was trampled by the mass of people still pouring in the doors. She moved along the wall inside the Great Hall and watched the people swarm in. She picked off four Death Eaters the moment they crossed the threshold before they ever saw her, but she still had not seen the tall blond man she was looking for. As the hall filled a mane of wild black hair caught her attention and her vision filled with red. Bellatrix LeStrange. She owed this bitch. Hermione Granger, filled with fury, raced across the stone floor toward her target and fired her first Unforgiveable Curse. The Crucio glanced off of Bellatrix's left shoulder and caused the curse she was firing to miss its target, who Hermione belated realized was Ginny.

"Oh, the mudblood wants a second dose of Bellatrix does she?" She cackled madly and fired spell after spell at Hermione and Ginny. They were soon joined by Luna and all three young women were battling their hardest, but could not get a spell past the woman's guard. As Hermione aimed for another attack, Bellatrix hit her in the knee with something that brought instant, blinding pain. She immediately went down and grabbed at her leg. Her hand met torn denim and a knee that had already doubled in size. The skin was torn and bleeding and the bottom half of her leg seemed to be slightly rotated. Ginny stepped in front of her and attempted to shield her from further harm, when Mrs. Weasley came to their rescue in a blaze of glory.

Red hair flying almost as madly as Bellatrix's she deflected a curse that was aimed at Ginny and screamed, "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" and began dueling with a fury that startled and truthfully frightened Hermione. She had to get up, she was going to wind up tripping Molly lying here on the floor. She cast an Immobilizing charm on her leg and tried to stand when strong arms seized her under her arms. She immediately went on the attack and clawed at the hands in an instinctive action. Draco's voice in her ear made her stop her struggles and breathe a sigh of relief.

"Stop scratching me, woman! Let me get you out of the way!" He sounded angry, but she imagined he was just running on adrenaline and fear, just like she was. He helped her limp over to a table pushed up against the wall and she leaned against it for support. From here she could see the fights better. Directly across the hall she saw Narcissa Malfoy literally backed into a corner by Lucius. She grabbed Draco and spun him to face his parents. Lucius had his back to Narcissa and was attempting to protect her from several Death Eaters who seemed hell-bent on paying her back for her betrayal. She wasn't able to fight much because Lucius' large body was blocking her. Her face was still a mask of calm, but her eyes gave her away and Hermione knew she was terrified for the life of her baby. She shoved Draco in their direction.

"GO!" She demanded and he took off at a sprint, firing spells as much to distract the men from his mother as anything else. Her wide eyes took in the condition of the Great Hall, she saw with mounting hope that nearly all the Death Eaters were dead, missing, or in a losing fight. Bellatrix still fought Molly, though she was no longer laughing. Voldemort fought McGonagall, Flitwick, and Kingsley and the Malfoy family fought four, now three, men whom she did not recognize. She didn't see any other Death Eaters anywhere…. Had they fled when the tide turned and they had been out numbered? It was too much to hope. She saw Hagrid toss McNair against the stone wall like he weighed no more than a feather. Well, there was one she missed, but Hagrid got him anyway.

Her eyes swiveled as she stood, stuck by her immobilized and incredibly painful leg. She wanted to watch all the fights; the outcome of each would affect her life in a significant way. She saw Draco flinch as a spell grazed across his forehead and blood poured down his face. But Lucius sent a Killing Curse at the man and he fell, Draco got one with some spell- she couldn't tell from here -and together the Malfoy men brought the last one down under two powerful curses. With Draco safe her attention turned back to the other end of the hall and she could watch those fights at the same time because they were so close together. Her hands clapped over her mouth as Molly let out a roar the likes of which she had never heard and hit Bellatrix with a Killing Curse that sailed under her outstretched arm. Bellatrix fell spectacularly to the floor and did not move again. But Voldemort's roar at her fall put Molly's to shame and Hermione felt a blast like a small explosion ripple through the room and all three who were battling Voldemort were blasted back from the strength of his fury.

"_Molly_!" Hermione screamed, but it was too late, there was nothing she could do from there. She was too far away for her shield charm. Molly looked exhaustedly at Voldemort and her eyes widened in realization but her wand came up too late. Hermione wished she could close her eyes so she wouldn't have to witness the Weasley matriarch die, but her eyelids wouldn't cooperate. Voldemort raised his wand and made to slash it in Molly's direction when a huge, gleaming shield sprang to life between the pair. Voldemort's spell hit the shield and made a sound like a giant gong and Molly was safe on the other side. Everyone looked for the source of the shield and Hermione's heart leapt into her throat when Harry whipped off his invisibility cloak and stood bravely between his surrogate mother and Lord Voldemort.

The hall wall was full of shouts and screams that were quickly silenced in the shock of the situation. Hermione again found her thoughts fuzzy and she couldn't take in Harry's words. One word bounced around in her overwhelmed brain: _alive_. Suddenly Draco was at her side and he put a supportive arm around her waist and she was dimly grateful to take the weight off her injured leg. A silence so loud her ears rang filled the hall as Harry and Voldemort circled each other. She still couldn't bring herself to focus on their words; she could only take in Harry's whole form. Whole and for the most part undamaged. His shoe was still untied and he was covered in blood but she thought that very little of it was his. His glasses were straight now and his mouth set in a hard, yet confident smile. She recognized this face. Harry knew something. He had a plan and her fear lessened slightly as she realized this. Harry thought he was going to win. She gripped Draco's hand as the light from the dawn cascaded through the window and for one breathless second the hall was blinded by it and the strength of the two wizards' spells. When the light dimmed she could see the back of Harry's head and shoulders, standing tall….and Voldemort appeared to have fallen to the ground. She inhaled a sharp breath, was that it? Was it finished? Then those who could see let out whoops and cries of joy that splintered the silence. She lost Harry as the crowd advanced on him, but saw a saw Ron with his height and red hair visible and knew that he would take care of Harry if he needed it, she couldn't go anywhere at the moment.

She teetered as Draco shifted but he caught her up and lifted her clear off her feet and kissed her hard on the mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with everything she had. After a moment he pulled away. "It's done. It's over." He lowered her feet gently to the floor, still holding her tight against his chest and rested his cheek on her head. She wrapped her arms around his waist. She was slowly processing what had happened and as her adrenaline abated her injured leg was demanding attention.

"Ow." She winced and pulled out of his embrace a little.

"Draco, you need to get the girl to Madam Pomfrey, she's clearly injured." Narcissa commanded, walking up and looking down at her visibly mangled knee showing through her jeans.

"Yes, Mother." She could tell he was about to roll his eyes, but then looked down for himself. "For fuck's sake, Granger! Why didn't you say something?!" He ignored his mother reprimanding his language and hoisted her onto the table that she'd been leaning on. "Do not move. I'll be back as soon as I can find Pomfrey. If you've got pain-relieving potion in that bloody bag, drink some. Mother, please make sure she doesn't move." Without waiting for a response from either witch he strode away.

Hermione looked nervously up at the intimidating woman whose son she was currently sleeping with and whose sister had tried to kill her on multiple occasions. Could this get any more awkward? Fate, the prickly bastard, decided at that moment to throw Lucius into the mix.

"Cissa, I insist you accompany me to the manor this instant." He demanded walking up to her and completely ignoring Hermione, which was fine by her. Narcissa merely raised an eyebrow. Lucius looked as though he was at a complete loss for what to do.

"You are with child! You've just been in a battle! You need to be checked by a healer and then you need to rest." If Hermione wasn't sure, she'd have thought that Lucius… cared. "Cissa, surely you can see that we are not welcome here. We need to leave before they realize that we are still here."

She remained unmoved. "I will be ready to leave after I have spoken to my son. As he will not be ready to speak to anyone until the girl, that is to say- Ms. Granger, has been treated, I will wait with her." She sent Hermione a miniscule smile, with seemingly only a little difficulty. Lucius finally looked at Hermione and he gave her a once over, taking in her frizzy hair, smoke blackened and torn clothes and various cuts and scrapes. He curled his lip and turned back toward Narcissa.

"I will wait for you and Draco in the Entrance Hall." He spun on his heel and headed out of the door. Many eyes followed him on his way. They had not missed that he'd killed several Death Eaters during the fighting inside the Great Hall. It seemed that no one knew quite what to do with him.

An awkward silence fell between the women. "I'll be fine Mrs. Malfoy; you don't need to wait with me…"

"Don't be silly, child. I'm waiting on Draco." Narcissa answered immediately and Hermione felt the sting of insult, of course Narcissa was only waiting on Draco to return, it wasn't done on her behalf. Narcissa closed her eyes a moment. "Forgive me; I'm afraid my manners have taken temporary leave." She opened her eyes and sent Hermione another forced smile, "I didn't mean to insult you, Miss Granger. Now, Draco mentioned you had pain relieving potion? I think he was right that you should take some. That looks dreadfully painful."

Hermione was surprised at her abrupt change of mood but assumed this was Narcissa's version of the Malfoy mask. She did as instructed and swallowed the potion. She gave up supporting herself on her arms and just lay flat on the table, the potion in combination with the madness of the day made her head swim.

Draco finally returned with a very harassed looking Madam Pomfrey, apparently he'd badgered her until she'd caved and left whomever she was treating to come to Hermione's aid. She grumbled under her breath as she ran her wand in diagnostic tests over and around her knee.

"Well Miss Granger, there seems to be little residual magic, so you're lucky in that regard. However, the impact of the curse has wrought serious damage in your knee. It severed both major ligaments and several tendons as wells as causing some hairline fractures to your kneecap, femur, and tibia." She waved her wand towards the entrance and Hermione assumed she was Summoning something from the Hospital Wing. "I'm going to give you a potion to regenerate the soft tissues, but I'm afraid I haven't the Skelegrow to spare for your fractures, there are others with some terrible breaks that will need it. Sorry, dear." Hermione nodded that she understood. "Your leg will have to remain immobilized for forty-eight hours. You'll probably have trouble with it for several weeks." Her expression finally softened and she studied Hermione's face. "I'm sorry dear, I know it's painful." She held her hand out as a potion came flying in through the huge doors, caught it and handed it to Hermione. "Drink all of this. You did very well immobilizing it, use that spell for the next two days like I said and try to keep your weight off of it. Come see me in the morning and we'll check on your progress. I'd keep you in overnight if I had room, but the ward is filling up quickly. Now, there are many others in need of my help." She hurried off muttering about children having no business fighting a war.

Hermione smiled up at Draco, wondering what to do with herself now. She really wanted to talk to Harry.

"Draco, your father is waiting just outside; he'd like to speak with you before we return to the manor." He started to argue but Hermione nodded at him to let him know that she was fine. Honestly she thought she could go to sleep right here on this hard wooden table. The night had been exhausting and the night before hadn't been very restful either. He squeezed her hand and left with Narcissa.

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A/N: I couldn't take Molly's line away from her, it may have been my favorite line out of the entire series. On a side note, can I just say that I love Narcissa? I've had so much fun writing her like this.


	22. Every Day

A/N: Hello my lovelies! As always your reviews made my day, thank you. A day of waiting on emails from my bosses means you get a new chapter! We finally get some interaction between Lucius and Draco... enjoy!

Henben, this one's for you. ;)

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Every day  
You walk with stronger step  
You walk with longer step-  
The worst is over.

Draco followed his mother out into the Entrance Hall and saw his father standing just outside the front doors. They walked out to him.

"Father." He didn't know what to say; he had no idea what his father was thinking. Lucius turned to face them.

"Right. Shall we?" He turned and headed down the steps.

"Shall we what?" Draco followed him down to bottom but that was as far as he was going. What was the man thinking?

Lucius turned and looked at him, puzzled. "Go home, of course. Come." Lucius made again to head down the path, Draco assumed to the boundary where he could Apparate.

"I'm not leaving…" Draco was slightly confused; did his father honestly think he was just going to run along home after everything that had happened? Again Lucius turned back to Draco.

"Why ever not?" He questioned, beginning to sound frustrated.

"Why would I?" This was getting ridiculous.

"Perhaps because we are your parents and you live with us at Malfoy Manor? Have you been Confunded? There was a lot of that going around today. Cissa." He glared at Narcissa.

She laughed, "No, I did not Confund my son."

"I'm not coming home. Not for a while anyways." He had absolutely no desire to go back any time soon.

"And where do you plan to go?" Lucius' voice chilled.

"Wherever Hermione goes I suppose. I hadn't really thought that far yet." He shrugged. Actually… he needed to talk to her about that. She would want that…. Right?

"Hermione? You mean the Potter's mudblood?" Lucius laughed incredulously and Draco took a calming breath.

"I'm afraid I have to ask you not to call her that." He ground out.

Lucius looked puzzled. "Why not?"

"Because your dark lord is dead and the whole blood purity thing is finished, perhaps you missed him hitting the floor in there just now. And I won't tolerate you insulting her."

"_You_ won't tolerate?" Lucius took a step closer to Draco and his eyes narrowed. "_Your_ tolerance has nothing to do with anything at the moment. We're leaving, now." Again Lucius turned toward the gate. But Draco turned to his mother at his side.

"Goodbye, Mother. I'll write soon and let you know where I am." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. He was still astounded by her actions during the night. Absolutely incredible.

She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek in return. "I love you, son. You make me so proud." She whispered in his ear. She smiled sadly up at him and stepped away. The exchange was not missed by Lucius.

"What is the meaning of this?" He demanded.

"I'm staying; I was saying goodbye to my mother." Draco replied evenly, mostly because he knew it would piss Lucius off.

"I will not tolerate your insolence! Am I to understand that you are not coming home to Malfoy Manor because you will be staying with a _mudblood_?"

"I've asked you not to call her that." Draco replied slowly. "But yes, other than your offensive language, you are correct." Lucius looked floored. Apparently he had seen no sign of his son's gradual change from the hateful young Death Eater he had been to the good man he'd managed to become.

"You are coming with us. End of discussion." He grabbed Draco roughly by his upper arm and began striding down the path again.

Draco wrenched out of his father's grasp, he was no longer a child and he was strong enough to fight back now. "I told you that I'm staying. If you think I'm going to tolerate your bullying any longer you're mistaken."

Lucius made a movement that Draco was all too familiar with. Instead of taking the backhanded slap he knew was coming he balled his right fist, drew back his arm and with all the fury of years of abuse and neglect he let it fly and felt the satisfying crunch of his father's nose against his knuckles. His mother gasped and his father cursed in pain.

Eyeing Draco with shock and ill-disguised anger he pulled a silk handkerchief out of his breast pocket and held it to his bleeding nose.

"Hermione taught me that." Draco smirked and nearly laughed out loud at the expression on his father's face. He'd have to remember to tell Hermione about that. Very funny. He wondered if her hand hurt this badly after she had punched him…

Without a word Lucius stormed away toward the gate. Narcissa grasped his other hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Write to me tomorrow and tell me your plans?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, Mother. Take care." She started to walk away but he called after her, "You were brilliant today you know. Bloody brilliant." She smiled back at him and he grinned. He really did love his mother; he wished they had opened up to each other long before this.

He took a moment and watched her walk away, wondering how a woman moved so gracefully, it just didn't seem natural. He put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and turned to go back inside, feeling relief for the first time in quite a while.

When he got back he found the tables had been replaced and houselves were moving amongst the seated survivors, helping to treat the remainder of the walking wounded as apparently Pomfrey had retreated to the hospital wing with those who'd been severely hurt. Food had been sent up from the kitchen and he saw that some were staring morosely at their plates as though food was the most repulsive of things, and some were wolfing the fare down as if they hadn't eaten in days. Perhaps they hadn't.

He found Hermione sitting at a table with her leg stretched along the bench across from Potter, Weasley, and Weasleyette. She looked relieved when she spotted him. "I was about to send someone to make sure you and Lucius weren't dueling."

"It was close, but no dueling." He smirked and proudly admitted, "But I did break his nose. I've got to say, the muggle way is quite satisfying. Now I understand why you did it to me in third year." Every eye at the table widened. He laughed at their expressions. His mood had been lifted considerably by the high of standing up to, and punching, his father.

"So, Potter. Good job saving the world and not dying and all that." He smirked as Harry rolled his eyes.

"Oh stop Malfoy, you'll make me cry."

"So, what's the plan now?" He looked between Potter and Hermione, both of them shrugged. "I really hope a shower and a bed is in my near future, I'm starting to feel as bad as Weasley looks." He laughed out loud as Ron glared at him. Weasel-baiting: his favorite hobby.

"Draco be nice." Hermione chided, but he thought he could see a small smile. "It's been a hard day on all of us. When are you going back to the Burrow?" She asked Ron and Ginny.

"Everyone else has gone already. I told mum we'd come home tomorrow, we wanted to help sort things out here." Ginny eyed Harry as she spoke and Hermione was glad they weren't leaving immediately.

"Well, then I say we head up to the tower, we're all covered in blood and Merlin knows what else. A bath and about fourteen hours of sleep would be excellent right now. Harry, maybe Kreacher could bring some food up to the common room?" He nodded. Draco swept her up in his arms so that she didn't have to hobble and everyone headed upstairs. Draco lagged behind a bit, on purpose.

"I guess I'll take you up and then head back down to the dungeons…." He wasn't sure what to do with himself.

She studied him a moment. "I'd like you to stay with me… unless you'd rather be by yourself down there…" She didn't seem sure either.

"No, I'd much rather stay with you, I just wasn't sure what you wanted." He smiled and his pace quickened to catch up with the rest of the group.

The Fat Lady let them in without question and they met Ginny in the common room. She studied them for a long moment, her pale face showing the ravages of her tears. Draco set Hermione on her feet and she leaned on his arm.

"I was just going up to sit with Harry and Ron. Now that they're back I don't want to let them out of my sight." She smiled a little sadly. Hermione nodded and with Draco's help they followed her up to their dormitory.

When they arrived, Harry and Ron were eating sandwiches. Neville and Seamus were both in the hospital wing and Dean was downstairs somewhere. She had Draco help her over to Harry and she sat next to him on the edge of his bed and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Harry James Potter. Tomorrow you are going to explain to me exactly why you went into that forest by yourself." She knew none of them had the energy to deal with it right now.

He chuckled slightly, "Yes, Hermione."

"Anyone have any idea where Draco and I could find some clean clothes to sleep in?" Neither Harry, Ron, nor Ginny had their trunks at the school so they all took the liberty of raiding the other boys' clothes to replace their filthy and tattered ones.

Carrying a t-shirt and sweat pants that belonged to Neville she turned to Draco who had some from Dean who was closest to his height, "Will you help me down stairs to another dorm to use their bathroom? Harry and Ron will be in this one for a while, I'm sure." He picked her up without comment and carried her down to the first year's dorm since they had all been evacuated. On their way out the door she heard Ginny speak up.

"I imagine she's going to need my help with her leg like that. You'll both be here when I come back after my own bath, right?" They both responded in the affirmative.

Draco carried her all the way into the bathroom and when he hesitated to leave Ginny eyed him suspiciously.

"Hermione… could I speak to you a moment?" She asked slowly.

"Of course" She replied, looking up to nod at Draco and motioned him to the door. She was pretty sure what this conversation was going to be about but wasn't sure it would be good. Ginny watched Draco leave and turned back to Hermione.

"What's up with you and Malfoy?" She always loved how direct Ginny was.

"Can I just give you the short version and we'll really talk about it another day?" She hoped Ginny was willing, she was emotionally and physically exhausted and aches and pains other than her knee were beginning to make themselves known. Ginny nodded, her eyes mirroring Hermione's exhaustion.

"I…. He saved my life." She began and Ginny nodded again, apparently Harry had passed that along. "It's been nearly a month since then and it's been just me and him…. He's been amazing. He…" She shook her head, not knowing how to explain the most complicated person she'd ever known. "I fell in love with him, Gin." Hermione leaned back against the counter to take the weight off her leg. "I fell in love with him and he fell for me, too." She laughed at Ginny's shocked expression. "I know. I know it sounds mad. But if you'll just give him the benefit of the doubt you'll see what a change he's made… You heard about everything he did today?" Hermione asked.

"Some at least, not the full story. I know he helped you three defeat Voldemort." Ginny looked as though she still didn't fully believe it. Hermione nodded.

"To be honest, I'm not sure we could've done it without him."

"Are you sleeping with him?" Ginny looked torn between wanting to gossip and being disgusted.

"That's a conversation for another day." She laughed. Ginny sighed.

"Alright. How much help do you need getting in the shower? Should I conjure something for you to sit on in there?" She looked down at Hermione's battered knee then into the shower.

"Actually…." Hermione trailed off, wondering if Ginny would blow up if she asked her to send Draco back in to help her. After the day she'd had she just wanted him.

Ginny stared hard at her for a moment, her lips pressed into a thin line. She tilted her head to the side and tapped a finger to her lips, apparently debating something. Hermione waited with bated breath, knowing Ginny had figured out what she wanted. She really didn't want to deal with a Weasley blow up at the moment.

Ginny nodded her head, turned on her heel and walked out the door. She said "She's all yours" to Draco who had apparently been listening at the door as she passed him in the hall. Draco came in looking over his shoulder after Ginny.

"Is Weasleyette really leaving us alone in a bathroom without any protests?" He asked in surprise.

"….Apparently so. I'm sure she and I will discuss it tomorrow. We're all too exhausted to get into anything tonight. Wait, it's morning. Bloody hell I want to go to sleep so badly." Her hands went to the zipper of her jumper and she peeled it off and let it fall on the floor.

"I'll repeat Ginny's question then, what can I do to help you not fall on your arse in there?" He too looked into the shower.

She sighed and looked down at her shoes that she had no idea how to get off not being able to bend her left wihtout bending her knee. "Will you just get in there with me? I have a compulsion to not let you out of my sight at the moment." He looked surprised and she attempted to smile through the exhaustion that was dragging on her more every minute. "You'll have to help me get undressed anyway. Plus if you're in there you can catch me if I fall." She realized what she was asking and suddenly got embarrassed and self-conscious. "Unless you'd rather not. I understand if you want some time by yourself, you haven't been rid of me in a month."

Finally he unfroze. He turned the water on and pulled his jumper off. It joined hers on the floor to make a pile. He moved over and smiled down at her. "I'm pretty sure I don't want to ever be rid of you, but we'll discuss that later." He pecked her gently on the lips and knelt down to untie and remove her trainers, then her socks. She was almost embarrassed for him to see her in such a filthy state, but just couldn't muster the energy. Plus he was in the same boat anyways.

He stood and gripped the hem of her shirt, looking at her for permission. She lifted her arms and he pulled it over her head. He stepped closer and pressed his lips to her shoulder. She waved her wand at the door, locking and silencing the room, and pulled his shirt up to his shoulders. When she couldn't stand properly to get it over his head he took it off the rest of the way himself. She ran her hands down his chest, gingerly tracing the bruises and scrapes, and unfastened his belt and pants, pushing them down his hips she let them fall to the floor. Even bruised, beaten, and a little underweight his body was so attractive. Had she not been nearly dead on her feet and half crippled, there would be more on the agenda than bathing. He helped her out of her jeans and knickers, moved her arms to wrap around his neck and lifted her off her feet. With her head resting against his neck he carried them to the already steaming shower. Once inside he eased her back down to her feet and tipped her head back into the spray. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist for support and relished in the hot water washing away the dirt, soot, and blood. She felt him shift but couldn't bring herself to open her eyes to see what he was up to. He tipped her head back up and began to lather her hair with what she assumed was shampoo left by the dorm's regular occupants. She moaned as his long fingers massaged her scalp.

"Feels amazing." She mumbled. She trailed her hands up his back, enjoying the feel of his warm skin. She could feel him, hard against her belly and knew that he wouldn't initiate anything because of her injury, but she was starting to reconsider… knowing that he wanted her was making her feel a little warm. She looked up to see him looking at her with dark eyes and parted lips. One of his hands cupped the back of her neck and he leaned down and kissed her gently. He pulled away after a moment and tipped her head back to rinse her hair. After that he bathed her a little more quickly, noticing that she kept shifting her weight, her right leg was getting tired of supporting her full body weight. He gently cleaned away the remnants of the smoke from the horcrux, blood from her cuts and scrapes, the dirt from their crawl through the passage to the Shrieking Shack and dust from the Riddle House. God it had been a long day… and night. He stood and quickly and scrubbed himself clean. She found herself a bit disappointed that he didn't touch her more intimately, but decided it was probably for the best in their current conditions. He helped her out of the shower, dried her off and helped her into Neville's clothes that he shrunk for her. He got himself dressed then turned back to her.

She pulled him down for a kiss. "Thank you for taking such good care of me."

"You know, rubbing my hands all over your naked body was really awful, you owe me." He winked at her. "Where are you sleeping?" He asked, waving his wand to dry her hair.

She pursed her lips in thought. "Do you want to stay with me, or do you want a bed to yourself for a change?" These beds were awfully tiny, and he was quite large…

"Are you going to ask me that every time we sleep in a different place?" He smirked at her.

"You asked where_ I_ was sleeping, not where _we_ were sleeping, just so you know." She smiled, but it was a small one. "I want to check on Harry again. I don't know what he went through in the forest..."

He carried her upstairs and they crept quietly into the silent room. Well, silent except for Ron's snores. Her eyes went immediately to Harry's bed and saw with pleasant surprise and that he was not alone. Ginny was curled up against his back with an arm wrapped around him. Good, she would take care of him. As they turned to go she saw with surprise that Harry's was not the only bed with two occupants. Dean was lying on his back with Luna sprawled across his chest, her blond hair everywhere. Huh. She had no idea how that had happened.

Then her eyes landed on Neville's bed and she remembered that he would probably be spending several days in the hospital wing. She whispered in Draco's ear, "Let's just sleep here. We can't get in my dorm because of the charm on the stairs anyway."

"You're really going to make me listen to Weasley snore?"

"You'll be asleep in less than two minutes and you know it."

"Ugh, fine. I'll settle for anything horizontal at this point. Plus you're getting heavy." He sat her down and pulled back the covers and helped her climb awkwardly into the bed. He walked around the other side, took off his shirt and slid in. He gathered her up in his arms and they settled into the pillow. He kissed her on the forehead.

She sighed and snuggled closer. "I love you." She smiled then added, still whispering, "I just wanted to say it again when I'm not worried about dying at any moment."

"Love you too, Granger. Go to sleep." She smiled against his chest and for once, obeyed his instructions without comment.

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A/N: So, I need your input, dear reader. I can't decide how far to continue the story... We need to resolve things within the trio, obviously. But do we want to see them get her parents home? What happens with Draco and his parents, the new baby? A holiday in the South of France? Or should we just go to an epilogue that highlights the big stuff? What would you prefer to read?


	23. Dawn of Anguish

A/N: So, I've been thinking about deleting the last bit of this chapter. I had been thinking that we haven't had any _time_ with Draco and Hermione lately... then I was watching tv with the hubs and had a couple beers and I wrote a scene that's quite a bit smuttier than anything I'd have written normally cause I'm a bit of a prude and get embarrassed talking and writing about things like that. But my best friend, jaimeweasley, insisted I post it... so here it is! First we get to see Ron discover Hermione and Draco in bed. Hope you enjoy it! ;) Let me know!

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The occupants of the dormitory slept soundly through the day and into the evening, worn by grief and battle. As the light began to fade again, one Ronald Weasley awoke and made his sleepy way to the loo and back. Just as he was about to climb back in bed a flash of brilliant blond caught his eye from the bed next to his. He snorted out a laugh staring a Dean's bed where Luna lay using his left shoulder as a pillow with her hair fanned out behind her, her pale skin in sharp contrast to Dean's. Turning to Harry's bed in an attempt to share his amusement, his humor died a quick, painful death. He stalked up to the bed that contained his best friend… and baby sister. How did she get in here? It was just him, Dean, and Harry when he went to sleep. Part of him, a significant part, wanted to rip Harry out of the bed and throw him to the floor, another part realized in the nick of time that Ginny would have his head on a platter if he did that. Another, smaller part realized that waking Harry up after the ordeal he'd been through the last couple days would be cruel. Satisfying… but cruel. His best friend was in bed with his sister! He paced away arguing with himself and picturing Harry landing on the cold stone floor. Suddenly something else caught his eye. Someone was sleeping in Neville's bed… he didn't think he was supposed be out of the hospital yet. Plus, that shape looked too big for just Neville, bloody hell; did he have a girl in there too? Damn, was he the only bloke who couldn't get a girl? He moved closer to see who she was and gaped mutely at the horrific sight that met his eye. Hermione, _his_ Hermione, was sleeping in Neville's bed…. wrapped around not Neville, but Draco Malfoy. He stared in dismay at Malfoy's arms holding her to his bare chest, her arm looped around his back and her uninjured leg bent and resting between his. As he watched she nuzzled closer to the ferret's chest in her sleep. His head swiveled back to Harry's bed looking for some back up, but nooo! His best friend was too busy _sleeping with his baby sister_! He turned back to Neville's bed… to Harry's. His head turning back and forth as if he were at a tennis match. His gaze finally focused on Neville's bed and as his fury built, a tiny part of his brain- which he chose to ignore- observed that by the looks of things Hermione was a willing participant in this… bullshit. Dean and Luna. Hermione and Malfoy. Harry and Ginny. Hermione and Malfoy. Hermione and Malfoy.

The silence of the room exploded into a furious yell. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

At the sudden yell six people- who had all suffered abuse at the hands of Death Eaters, who had been living in fear for their lives for more months than they cared to remember, who had just survived one of the worst battles in wizard history were jolted from a sound sleep. Within the space of a heartbeat six wands were drawn out from under pillows, from up sleeves, or out from behind ears and pointed at the as yet unidentified threat. Realizing his error, Ron threw himself to the floor in case any of the six startled sleepers fired a spell in reaction.

"It's me! It's just me!" Ron yelled, hoping he wasn't about to be Stunned or worse.

There was a tense moment of silence, broken at last by Harry.

"Dammit, Ron! You scared the shit out of me!" He threw himself back onto his pillow and then started and looked up at Ginny sitting next to him. He grinned hugely at her. Draco also lay back down and pulled Hermione close. She tried to stay sitting up despite Draco's pull because she had an idea of what was coming.

"Don't you 'dammit Ron' me, Harry!" he shouted, jumping back to his feet. "What do you think you're doing in bed with my sister?!" Before Ginny could get her furious response out Ron whirled around and pointed a finger at Hermione. "And Hermione! What the bloody hell are you doing in bed with Malfoy?" His voice was at a decibel level slightly below that of a jumbo jet. Dean and Luna watched wide-eyed from his bed.

Before Hermione could come up with a response Draco's pillow-muffled voice answered instead, "Enjoying my huge- oomph!" He grunted from Hermione's elbow in his ribs. "I mean, enjoying a well-deserved rest. Now go the fuck back to sleep, Weasley!" Each word of his last sentence got progressively louder until he was nearly shouting at Ron. Tired Draco had even less patience than regular Draco, apparently.

"Get away from her, Malfoy! I've warned you once already!" Ron edged closer, his wand in hand.

"No." Draco replied without inflection. All eyes swiveled between Draco, still sprawled on the bed with Hermione cuddled to his chest like a teddy bear, apparently trying to go back to sleep, and Ron's furious face.

Ron gaped at Malfoy for a minute then turned to Harry to look for some support. Then he remembered that he was annoyed with Harry for sleeping in the bed with Ginny and threw his hands in the air.

Harry, eager to deflect Ron's attention cleared his throat and spoke up. "Erm, Hermione? Why _are_ you sharing a bed with Malfoy? Seamus' empty bed is _right_ there." She followed his pointing gesture and realized that it had never even occurred to her that one of them should sleep there. She decided she was still too exhausted to tread carefully.

"Well, I didn't even notice Seamus's bed to be honest. This was the first empty one we came across. But since I've been sharing a bed with him for like two weeks it didn't even occur to me to sleep apart." She replied, unapologetically. She heard Draco chuckle softly at her side and felt his arms tighten around her. She knew he was enjoying Ron's discomfort.

"You… he… but…. what?!" Ron spluttered. Harry also looked aghast.

"Well said, Weasley." Draco interjected in an undertone so only Hermione could hear. She was glad he knew better than to say it loud enough for everyone, that remark would've been fuel to the fire.

She sighed and pulled away from Draco. "If you're going to insist we do this now, let's at least go down to the common room so Dean and Luna can go back to sleep."

"Oh, that's alright, as much as you all tend to yell we'll likely hear anyway. And if we can't hear from here we'll probably just so sit on the stairs so we can." Luna added sleepily. Dean nodded, looking fairly amused.

Hermione sighed. "Alright then. Ron, tell me what's wrong with my sharing a bed with Draco."

"What's wrong with it? He's _Malfoy_!" It was a wonder his ears didn't start bleeding they were so red…

"Yes, that is his name." She agreed and waited for him to produce a reasonable argument. Draco pulled her back in from where she had scooted in preparation to get out of bed. She allowed it since he let her stay sitting upright.

Ron let out an indignant squawk. Harry spoke up. "Hermione… we don't understand how you can trust him… and apparently care about him." He sounded slightly disgusted. "I know he's done some things lately that we never expected out of him, but people don't change overnight. He calls you _mudblood_ for crying out loud!"

Draco spoke, still muffled in the pillow. "Not since fifth year."

"What?" Harry and Ron asked.

"Haven't called her that since fifth year." He repeated. She sighed at his blatant disregard for the others in the room. He could at least sit up. She thought about his words for a moment, but indeed couldn't remember Draco call her mudblood any time in the last couple years.

"Well, you are correct, Harry. People _don't_ change overnight and neither did Draco. Just because he didn't keep you posted on his changing opinion on the war doesn't mean it didn't happen."

"Malfoy, why don't you tell us why we should trust you with Hermione." Ron demanded. Draco heaved a sigh and finally sat up. "Would you put on your fucking shirt?" Ron yelled immediately.

Draco smirked, "Do I make you uncomfortable, Weasley?" Ron glared. Draco ran his hands through is hair, frustrated that he hadn't been left to go back to sleep. "I don't have to explain myself to any of you. Hermione's is the only opinion that matters in this. This is between the two of us. If you don't like it… I realize that we're technically in your room so if you say we aren't welcome we'll leave."

"Hermione's welcome all the time, but you're not. So get out." Ron snarled. Hermione blinked at him and sighed. She knew he'd calm down soon. Well, soon-ish. Okay, eventually. She scooted to the edge of the bed and Draco got up, put his shirt on and came around to her side. She held her arms up for him to lift her. She was already tired of this immobilized leg, she felt like a child.

"Hermione, where are you going?" Ron asked. She froze and looked at him incredulously.

"…. With Draco." Did he really think she was going to stay and listen to him talk badly about Draco?

"But… why?" He looked confused. She caught Ginny rolling her eyes.

"Because you're being ridiculous. You've got nothing to be angry at us about: no one in this room has wronged you anytime in the recent past." Ron pointed at Malfoy and started to splutter. She stood, hands on her hips. "What, Ronald? What has he done to you in the last year?"

"You! He… and you, and…" He trailed off, looking thoroughly distressed.

"I'm with him," she jerked her thumb at him just behind her, "and if he's not welcome I'm going too. Feel free to come find me when you can form a coherent sentence and behave like an adult." She started to turn to Draco but stopped and looked back at Ron. "Oh, and don't act like you're mad about Harry and Ginny. You knew they'd get back together if we ever defeated Voldemort, and Harry only split up with her to try and keep her safe. You know as well as I do that they should be together. Don't be an arse about it." She said calmly and again started to turn but stopped. "And one more thing, Ronald Weasley: half of the people that we know _died_ yesterday. Don't you think there are bigger things to worry about than mine or Harry's love life?" With that Draco lifted her into his arms and they left the others staring after them.

Once out in the common room he set her down. "You're brilliant, you know." He kissed her soundly on the lips. "Where to, now that we've successfully pissed off all your friends?" He didn't look the least bit upset about that.

Her stomach growled. "Are you hungry? I feel like I could eat a hippogriff."

"I'd rather something other than a hippogriff but yes, I'm hungry." He picked her up again. "When was the last time we ate, anyway?" He asked, heading out of the portrait hole. She shrugged.

After they'd gone down a couple floors she kissed him on the cheek and said "Thank you for carrying me like this. You know, we can probably figure something out so you don't have to."

"No, I like it." He grinned at her.

They found the Great Hall empty of people. Between nearly all of the students being evacuated, the ones who left with their families this morning after the battle, and the ones in the hospital wing there was hardly anyone left. The debris from the battle had been scraped up into piles during the course of the day and the damage was still very visible. They found one table in the cleanest part of the hall with food waiting on it, kept warm and fresh by the houselves' magic. They sat at the nearest end side by side and piled their plates high. Draco conjured a small cushioned footstool under the table for her so she didn't have to keep her leg set awkwardly along the bench next to her. After a few moments filling their empty stomachs Hermione spoke up.

"You know… I just realized that part of the reason they're freaking out is because I haven't properly explained what's going on with us. I haven't explained it at all really."

Draco nodded. "Well, that's true. You haven't. You just yell at Weasley for being a prat." He smiled at the thought. When she didn't reply he turned to find her staring at him. "What?"

"Well… how should I explain it? What am I supposed to say?" She asked, a little embarrassed.

"Oh, are we having the relationship status talk?" He grinned. "Interesting." When she pretended to glare at him he relented his teasing slightly. "Well. Let's look at the facts. You love me, yes?" He asked. She smiled and nodded. "And I love you, yes? Yes." He asked and answered himself. "And we're consenting adults involved in a caring, intimate relationship, yes?" She nodded again. He paused for a moment, and then grew more serious. "Whatever label you want to give it, Hermione… I don't want anyone but you."

"There's no one else for me. There never will be." She answered seriously. He smiled and pecked her on the lips.

"Well. That still doesn't give us a label. Are we dating? We've only been on one date and we were planning a burglary, so I don't think it even counts." He trailed off in thought. After a minute he spoke again, "You know, I hate the word 'boyfriend'. It just sounds so stupid."

"Why do we have to have a label at all? Haven't there been enough labels between us already?" She asked, taking a bite of potatoes.

"Very true. Well, you can tell them that we want to be with each other and so we are." They ate in silence for a few minutes. "What if they don't accept it?" he asked quietly.

"What do you mean? If they make me choose?"

He nodded and looked slightly worried. "I'm not going to ask you to give up your friends for me, Granger."

"Well… if they stand in the way of my happiness then maybe they're not the friends I thought they were." She said reasonably, but the thought of it chilled her. They wouldn't do that, would they? Ron might, for a little while. She thought that Harry had grown up enough the last couple of years that he'd accept it after a little time. When he didn't respond she leaned into his shoulder. "You're going to be hard pressed to get rid of me at this point you know." He looked down at her and smiled.

"Well, it's a good thing I've decided to keep you then, isn't it?" He leaned down and kissed her softly. She sighed and kissed him back. She loved kissing him. His lips were so soft; they felt so nice moving against hers…

"I'm going to lose my appetite if you two keep that up" said a slightly amused voice from across the table. They'd been so distracted with each other that they hadn't Ginny come up. Hermione straightened up from leaning on Draco and looked at her in surprise.

"Ginny, hi." She tried to gauge the redhead's mood, but wasn't sure. "Are you mad about this?" She gestured between herself and Draco. She'd decided not to dance around the issue, they were either going to get over it or… well, they were just going to have to get over it, dammit.

"Not mad, no. I don't understand it." Ginny began while filling her plate. "Maybe if I get to know the new and improved Malfoy I might. But it really doesn't matter either way, it's not for me to understand or approve or whatever. I want you to be happy, Hermione, and if you're happy with Malfoy then I'll work on forgetting what a shit you used to be," she added the last part to Draco. He inclined his head in acceptance of the truth of her statement. "My brother's an arse and the only reason he's so upset is that he assumed you would wait around for him until he was ready to grow up. He's a moron. I always wanted you for a sister, but as we've all grown up a bit, I realized that it'll be like ten years before he's mature enough to have an adult relationship. He still needs mothered too much and I wouldn't wish that on you, Hermione." Ginny gave a small, forced laugh. She had darker circles under her eyes than Hermione had ever seen, and they were so puffy she almost looked as though she were in the midst of an allergic reaction. Ginny's pale complexion did not recover well from weeping.

"Thanks, Ginny. Let's forget about it for now." She reached across the table for Ginny's hand. "Are you okay?" Ginny sighed and blinked a few times, refusing to let any tears fall.

"No. I can't believe Fred…" She cleared her throat. "We'll go home in the morning. Mum and Dad will have the funeral arrangements set by then." She picked at her food. "You're coming back to the Burrow, right?"

Hermione swallowed, "Wow, plans for the future that don't involve hunting horcruxes or killing Voldemort? I honestly thought I wouldn't live to see the day." She gave a hollow laugh. "Of course I'll be there for the funeral Ginny. I don't really have anywhere else to go…" She trailed off. Would Draco be welcome at the Burrow? She wanted him to come with her, where ever she ended up. Maybe they could stay in the castle for a while til they figured it out… or they could go to her parents' house.

She looked up and saw Ron and Harry standing in the doorway. Ron glared and turned on his heel and stalked out of the hall. Harry lingered for a moment in indecision. Finally he came in to the room. He came around to her, took her hand and helped her stand. She stared at him curiously, trying to figure out what he was up to. When she was safely on her feet he pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair. She clutched at him and remembered all her fear at discovering him missing yesterday, and seeing him lying there apparently dead at Voldemort's feet. Her tears started almost instantly.  
"I was so scared Harry…" she whispered into his shoulder. "When I saw Hagrid carrying you…" She sniffled and straightened up to look into his face, reassuring herself that he was standing here, perfectly okay. "I'm so glad you're okay." She smiled as he used the pads of his thumbs to wipe her tears away.

"I'm okay. I'm glad you're okay, too. It took me forever to find you after dueling Voldemort; no one knew where you were. Then I finally saw this blond prat over in the corner and saw that you were hurt…" He kissed her on the forehead. "I'm glad you're okay, too." He repeated. He helped her sit back down and walked around to sit with Ginny, trailing a hand across her back as he sat.

He now looked between Hermione and Draco. "I'm not going to pretend I like this. But… I don't reckon he's going to hurt you and as long as you're happy I'll deal with it." Now he stared hard at his plate. "So… let me just get something out of the way." He paused and looked at them, they waited patiently. "I went to the forest last night because the first time that Voldemort tried to kill me he intended to use my death as a horcrux. He did make a horcrux that night, but not intentionally." Hermione stared hard at him, pushing her plate away. "When the curse backfired and hit him, a piece of his soul broke away and took up residence inside of me." He spoke very quickly, as though getting done with it faster would make it easier to hear. "That's why I saw so much of his mind; we shared a piece of his soul." She shuddered and he continued. "So that piece of soul had to be killed just like the other horcruxes, and Voldemort had to be the one to do it." He cleared his throat. She was dying to ask questions, but knew he wanted to get this over with. They could rehash it at a later date, when emotions weren't so raw. "So, last night Voldemort used the killing curse on me," He continued through the three gasps that echoed around the table, "and it killed the bit of soul and not me. It knocked me out, and apparently him as well. When he got up he sent Lucius to see if I was alive or dead." He looked hard at Draco, who stiffened at the mention of his father. "He knelt down; put his hand on my chest… he felt my heart beating. His hair was covering our faces… he asked me if you were alive. If you were in the castle." The listeners' mouths all fell open. Harry continued. "I told him you were and he stood up…. He stood up and told them I was dead." He concluded. They all sat in stunned silence for several minutes. "Your father saved my life, Malfoy." Draco nodded numbly. Hermione took his hand and gave him a squeeze; she knew he was stunned that his father had done that. "I'm pretty sure he did it so he could come back to the castle without another fight starting so he could get you out of here." Draco's gaze shot up to meet Harry's.

"Well. That's… unexpected." Draco finally said. She knew he was processing it and wouldn't talk to Harry and Ginny about his relationship with his father anyway; he'd barely spoken to her about it.

"Just thought you should know." Harry added, filling his plate now that the heavy stuff was apparently over. "How about your mother, though?" He grinned, "That was one of the most badass things I've ever seen."

Draco grinned now, too. "Yeah. She blew everyone away." Hermione looked between the two of them, amazed that they were smiling in conversation with each other. She looked at Ginny and saw her surprise echoed on the redhead's face.

"So, 'Mione," Harry asked around a mouthful of food. She glared and he swallowed before he continued. "You're coming with us to the Burrow in the morning, yeah?" She looked quickly at Draco and Harry caught her uncertain expression. "Oh. Hm. What to do with Malfoy." Harry looked briefly at Ginny who shrugged. "I think everyone but Ron would be okay with you coming with us, Malfoy. They've got a general idea of how much you helped us out, they know you're not a wanker anymore. Although Mrs. Weasley is going to be in a tizzy if she notices that you two are together. She wants Hermione for a daughter-in-law."

"Harry, are you really okay with us being together?" Hermione asked, unable to believe he was being so friendly.

"Honestly, no. I'm not. But… I mean… like you said, everyone we know fucking _died_ yesterday. This just isn't a big deal in comparison." He took another bite of his chicken. He was obviously contemplating something, so they waited until he continued. "But, since her dad's not here and she hasn't got any brothers, it falls to me to say this, Malfoy. If you hurt her, I'll cut Little Malfoy off with rusty garden shears and then feed it to you an inch at a time. Kay?" He finished with a smile. Hermione and Ginny both choked and looked shocked but Draco merely smiled.

"Potter, I've got no intentions of hurting her but if by some chance I did, do you think I'd be alive by the time you found me?"

Harry chuckled, "No, I reckon she'd do you in. But seriously, Malfoy. Take care of her, yeah?"

"What the bloody hell have I been doing the last month?" Draco demanded with half a laugh.

Harry nodded his head. "Alright, yeah. You've been doing alright." Then he did something that surprised all of them, even Harry himself by the look on his face. He held his hand out for Draco to shake.

"You know, Potter. If offered you my hand once and you left me hanging." Draco said slowly, not taking Harry's hand.

"Well yeah. You were a bigot and a shit then. I'm still not convinced you're not a shit now, but it looks like Hermione's worn the bigotry off." Harry kept his hand out and his eyebrow rose in question.

Draco huffed out a laugh, reached out and shook Harry's hand. "Yeah. I _was_ a shit and a bigot. I'm pretty sure I'm still a shit though. Just not to Hermione." They all went back to eating, but he suddenly pointed a finger at Harry. "This does not make us friends, Potter."

Harry looked disgusted. "No bloody way. I'm fairly certain I still hate you."

"Good. I hate you, too." He said in a friendly tone. She looked at Ginny and both witches rolled their eyes at them.

Hermione looked up to see Ron standing behind Harry's shoulder. "Hermione, could I talk to you?" Everyone at the table froze for a moment. She took a deep breath and nodded. His ears were still pink, but not enough to indicate an imminent blow up. She nodded. Draco helped her stand and Ron came around and put his arm awkwardly around her waist. She knew they were glaring at each other over her head, but chose to ignore them. Ron lead them out into the Entrance Hall and would've led her out the front doors, but she stopped him.

"Ron, I'm not feeling up to dealing with any stairs. Can we just sit in here somewhere?" They walked over and sat on the bottom step of the main staircase. There were so few people in the castle that they didn't really worry about any disturbing them, but she cast Muffliato in case he yelled something stupid Draco wouldn't run in and kill him. They sat in silence for several minutes, he was nervously twirling his wand and she was waiting for him to say whatever was on his mind.

"Hermione…. Why are you doing this?" He finally asked.

"Doing what?"

"Doing what?" He echoed, sounding outraged. "Doing…. Whatever it is you're doing with Malfoy?"

"Why are you treating me like I'm some sort of traitor? I've done nothing wrong." She responded as calmly as possible.

"Yes, you have!" He stood up and stormed away a few paces. He turned back to look at her. "I thought that we would be together when this was over." He said quietly. This was what she had suspected but was shocked that he'd actually admitted it instead of treating her like a pariah for weeks like he did when she was talking to Viktor.

"I'm sorry you thought that. I'm very sorry if I hurt you, Ron, you know I'd never do that on purpose." He took a couple slow steps closer.

"Then ditch the ferret and be with me." She blinked up at him slowly, taking in what he'd just said.

"Wh…. I… Ron, no. This isn't just a passing fancy. I'm with Draco now." The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Ron. He was one of her best friends.

"No! You're supposed to be with me. Come on, it's not like you love him; you've barely even spent any time with him. One month, big deal, we've been friends for like eight years." He scoffed.

"Ron. Even if has only been a month, I don't need more time." If Ron had feelings for her she didn't want to twist the knife by telling him just how in love with Draco she was, but if he kept insisting… she didn't know what to do.

"Hermione, don't be stupid! He's obviously using you!" He changed tactics. She wondered if he'd made a check list of ideas before he came to talk to her.

"Using me for what?" She asked calmly. She was really too tired for this right now….

"To keep him out of Azkaban! You were one of the key people in bringing Voldemort down; people will believe anything you say! If you tell the aurors that he's a good guy, they'll believe you and will think he's really not a Death Eater!" She barely stopped herself rolling her eyes.

"Really Ron? You do realize that Draco killed two horcruxes don't you? How many did you kill? One. How many did I kill? None. On paper he was a bigger player than anyone but Harry. He doesn't need anyone's help staying out of Azkaban." Ron looked a bit choked for a few minutes.

"Well, he's using you for something. Malfoy doesn't do anything without an ulterior motive. If I didn't know you better I'd think he was trying to get in your pants, but that's a joke." She bristled immediately at his comment.

"Oh, and I'm so unattractive that no one would want to touch me?" She asked quietly.

"No, I didn't mean that, but Malfoy goes for the beautiful, bimbo type, right? He's a rich bloke, that's what they do isn't it?" She stared at him, wondering if she handed him a shovel if he'd keep digging the hole.

"Ron, I'm not sure why you think insulting me is going to get you anywhere besides the hospital wing, but I'm just not in the mood to deal with you at the moment."

"What? I didn't insult you!" He looked utterly confused.

She sighed. "You just said that I'm not beautiful enough to attract someone like Draco's attention and he must want something else from me then."

"Well, yeah but… oh blimey, Hermione. You _are_ beautiful! That's not what I meant!"

"Don't worry about it, Ron. Just quit being an arse alright? I'm sorry if you're feelings are hurt, but you and I ever made any promises to each other, we never even _talked_ about getting together and I've done nothing wrong and neither has Draco."

"Done nothing wrong! Hermione, he was a death eater!"

"When he was a _child_, Ron! He grew up and learned to think for himself and then he risked his life to save me and help us defeat Voldemort!" Ron was shaking his head so she continued, determined to make him understand. "Imagine for two minutes what your life would be like if you'd grown up with Lucius Malfoy for a father."

"Whatever, Hermione. It's only a matter of time, he'll break your heart and you'll come crawling back to me to put the pieces back together and I'm going to say I told you so." He said spitefully.

She sighed. "Come on, don't be like that."

"I'm just being myself Hermione!"

"I know."

"He's using you, and you're too pathetic to see it!" He nearly yelled in her face.

"That's enough." She stood carefully, conjured a set of crutches and limped back toward the Great Hall.

"Come on, Hermione. You can stop this. You proved your point." He said following her slow progress.

"I've got no point to make, Ron." She looked up at him. "I want to be with Draco, he wants to be with me and that's really all there is to it." He glared down at her for a moment, turned on his heel and stomped away.

Sighing, again, she limped her way back to the doors and Draco immediately saw her, came and scooped her up and carried her back to the table.

"Well, he didn't help you back to your seat, so I'm going to assume it was typical Ron behavior?" Ginny asked, always the first one to be annoyed with Ron.

"About what I expected, yeah." She leaned into Draco. "I know we slept most of the day, but I really think if I laid down I could sleep the whole night through as well."

"I think that's a sentiment we can all get on board with. Shall we?" Harry stood and held his hand out to Ginny. The four of them headed back to Gryffindor tower. When they made it to the common room Harry turned to the two of them. "You know… as much as I'd like to have Hermione around, if you're going to share a bed, you should probably use another dorm. There's no sense rubbing it in his face."

"Okay, we'll be in this first one then, if you need us. No need for Draco to carry me up any more stairs than he has to." She smiled at Harry and Ginny, supremely relieved that while not happy, and not exactly accepting, they were at least tolerating the situation with Draco.

"Night," they both said and headed up the steps, Harry eyeing Draco for a minute before he retreated up the stairs. She watched them go, glad that Harry hadn't wasted any time in getting back with Ginny. She knew they had missed each other terribly.

Draco carried her up he single flight of stairs to the first year's dormitory and they took the only bed that happened to be made and hoped that was an indicator of cleanliness. Night had fallen and it was perfectly dark in the room. She swished her wand and locked the door. And cast a Silencing charm for good measure. It never hurt.

Draco slid in behind her and pulled her back into his chest. She rolled back towards him so she could get to his lips. They'd been interrupted earlier… Draco seemed to follow her train of thought and ran his tongue across her bottom lip. She smiled into his lips and tangled her hand in the hair at the back of his head and pulled him a bit closer. She captured his bottom lip between her teeth and bit him gently. He growled and pulled her hips back against his growing arousal. She made a small sound of pleasure and he redoubled his attention on her mouth and slid a hand under her shirt, cupping her bare breast.

"You know I nearly died down there when I remembered that you didn't have anything on under here." He whispered roughly into her neck where he was currently trailing kisses. She turned her head to give him better access. He pulled on the hem of her shirt and she shifted to allow him to remove it. She smiled at the feel of his naked chest against her back. She moved back against him, wanting to be closer. He kissed and nibbled on her shoulder, his hand teasing her breasts.

"This is a bad idea." He whispered huskily. "I don't want to hurt your knee…."

She reached her hand behind her back and ran it down his hard, flat stomach and under the waistband of his pants. He groaned in her ear when she wrapped her hand around him. "No, it's an excellent idea," she whispered, protesting his earlier comment.

"I'll be careful then." He moved his hand down her hip and slid the pants down, pushing them off her feet with his own. He rolled suddenly away and took care of his own pants. She shivered as he came back and she felt him press against her, his front to her back. She turned her head for another kiss and he absolutely melted her with one of the most passionate kisses she'd ever experienced. His hand trailed down her stomach and made her tremble. His touch and movement against her backside was absolutely lighting her skin on fire.

She captured his lips in a quick, hard kiss. "I want you," she whispered, a little embarrassed. She told herself to quit being silly, it wasn't like he didn't want to hear that she wanted him. She liked to know that he wanted her, so it was a natural assumption that he liked it also.

"Yes ma'am." To her surprise he didn't reposition them, he just pulled her uninjured leg up and lifted it up over his own. He reached between them and adjusted himself to ease into her from where he was. This was new and interesting. Better than interesting….

"You okay?" He asked breathlessly, making sure her knee wasn't at risk of being bumped or jostled.

"Yeah, come on, I won't break…" He laughed quietly at her frustration, but felt it as much as she did. He began moving gently; still worried about hurting her, regardless of what she said she _was_ breakable. He ran his hands up her smooth leg and grabbed her hip and pulled her towards him as he thrust his hips. He dropped his lips to her shoulder and kissed up her neck to her ear.

"I love you…" he whispered as he nibbled on her earlobe.

"I love you, too," she responded breathlessly. She arched her back and moved restlessly against him. He smirked. He was torturing them both with slow, steady movements, dragging it out as long as possible.

"Why are you frustrated?" He held completely still and sunk his teeth lightly into her shoulder. She all but growled at him. He loved it. He plunged into her roughly once, and she moaned. He stopped again, he wanted her to tell him what she wanted… he wanted her to open up and stop being bashful. She was going to have to hurry up though or he was going to lose his damn mind.

She was about to lose her mind. He was doing this on purpose. He knew exactly what she wanted and he was torturing them both. She moved against him as well as she could without the use her of left leg. He was still barely moving. He kissed along her shoulder and teased her breasts with his long, nimble fingers. Her frustration was mounting. She moaned and gripped his hip- digging her fingernails into his skin.

"You feel so good," He breathed against her neck and she felt goose bumps rise on her skin. The heat was a slow burn in her belly and he was not cooperating.

"Draco…" she pleaded, and pushed back onto him.

"Yes?" He asked, his voice lower than usual. She could hear his amusement.

"Come on!" She gripped his hip tighter and leaned back and captured his lips in a steaming kiss. Still, his pace remained slow and leisurely. His tongue delved into her mouth and ran along hers; he sucked on her lip and stole her breath. "Please…" she breathed, barely audible. Her head was spinning and she was ready to cancel the immobilizing charm on her knee just to get some leverage over him.

"Please what?" He asked, nibbling a trail up her throat to her ear. She ground her teeth in frustration; she was too embarrassed to tell him what felt the best, too embarrassed to tell him what she wanted him to do. Too embarrassed to do anything unladylike. Suddenly a flash of Ron calling her too prudish to attract the likes of Malfoy flashed through her brain. Bugger that! She was a confident, self-possessed young woman with a lover who respected her. She'd be damned if she'd be afraid to tell him what she wanted… why should she hold back from someone who already knew her so intimately? They both deserved for her to open up and tell him exactly what she wanted.

She reached back and grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled his face to hers. "Fuck me." She whispered. She heard his intake of breath and his muttered oath. He kissed her hard.

"Yes ma'am." He said with a strained laugh. She felt his hand between her shoulder blades and gasped as he pushed her torso away from him, bent at her waist. With one hand on her shoulder and the other on her hip, he pounded into her and her eyes rolled back and her toes curled.

"Oh, god…." Her breath came in pants and lights popped behind her eyes. His hand left her shoulder and he wrapped her long hair around his fist and pulled, slightly harder than she'd have anticipated… if she would've ever anticipated that he'd pull her hair in the first place. He pulled her head back by her hair and she arched her back to relieve the pressure on her scalp and the change in position created amazing sensations. And she'd never have thought that the slight tingling pain in her scalp from his hair pulling could be sexy, but it was. Apparently she liked to be manhandled.

"So fucking good…" he ground out, each word punctuated by a thrust of his hips. Even his cursing was sexy. Everything about him was sexy. She felt the tension build to the breaking point and her mind blanked, her breath locked in her lungs and she drowned in the sensation. He followed her within seconds, gripping her hip hard enough to leave bruises.

After they caught their breath he released her hair and gathered her up to his chest and nuzzled into her neck. "That was so hot." He trailed soft kisses across her cheek.

"You did that on purpose." She accused once her brain re-engaged.

"Yes." He sounded very pleased about it, too. "I certainly did. You said 'fuck me'" He laughed quietly. "And I liked it." She buried her face in the pillow; a little ashamed that she'd said that. "Don't be embarrassed with me, I can't read your mind. Well, I mean I can, but I won't cause that would be rude. If you don't tell me what you like I might not figure it out." He rolled her onto her back and kissed her slowly. "I love you; don't be embarrassed to tell me anything." She nodded.

"You pulled my hair." She said with a tone of surprise.

"You liked it." He returned immediately. She squirmed slightly.

"Yeah, I did. I'm pretty sure I like everything you do." She sighed, feeling extremely content. She trailed her fingers up and down his slightly sweaty back, enjoying the feel of his smooth skin and hard muscles. She marveled that a man like him wanted her. Her confidence in her looks had never been very high, but being with him gave it a boost. He could have his pick of women, witch or muggle, and he chose her. Amazing. She turned into his chest, happy to be held for a while.

"So, tomorrow…." He spoke after a long period of contented silence.

"You don't have to go to the Weasley's with me, you know. I just… I don't have anywhere to go. Plus, I feel like I need to be there, they're like my second family."

"There's nowhere I want to go, really." He murmured into her hair. "But, I'd like to keep you company, if you don't mind me tagging along."

She hugged him close. "I'd miss you if you didn't."

I've been thinking about something else..." He began, quietly. She lifted her head and sat her chin on his chest to look at him. He was so handsome. She smiled and ran her knuckles down the stubble he still hadn't shaved.

"'Bout what?" She traced his lips with her fingertip.

"Remember when we said we'd go on holiday when this was done? The South of France?" He murmured quietly.

"Mhmm."

"Do you still want to?"

"Go on holiday… with you… in the South of France?" Her hand stilled on his cheek. "Is that a trick question?" He smiled.

"No. I just it would be a good place to go rest and recover before we go get your parents. We have a chateau there, you know." He said, his hand still caressing her back.

"You… you want to go with me to bring my parents home?" She asked, butterflies forming in her stomach for a reason she wasn't sure of yet. His hand stilled.

"You don't want me to go with you?"

"No, no, of course I do! It would mean a lot to me for you to come. To meet my parents…" she leaned up and kissed him. "Are you sure you want to meet my muggle parents?" His hand started moving again.

"Of course I am. They'll love me." He said, grinning.

"Well. There might be a bit of an obstacle there. I may have told them how mean you were to me."

"Damn, why did I have to be such a prick? Well, if I can get you to forgive me, I can get them to. Right?"

"They'll love you because I love you." She settled herself back onto his chest.

He wrapped his arms tight around her and kissed the top of her head. "So… irons-nous à la France ma moitié?" He asked and made her giggle, he'd called her 'kitten'. She'd have to ask him to speak French to her more often, it was hot.

"Oui, mon chéri" she smiled and cuddled closer.

* * *

A/N: I've encountered something I hadn't expected: running out of song titles from Les Miserbles! I'm gonna have to finish this soon or I'll be stuck using "Javert's Suicide" and that does not sound like a fun chapter.

So, I'm kinda glad a had a couple beers and wrote that scene. I feel like Draco could be a little spicier than just regular old vanilla... What do you think?


	24. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

A/N: So look up Eddie Redmayne singing 'Empty Chair's at Empty Tables' from the new Les Mis movie to hear the inspiration behind this chapter... it's really because of that song that I wrote the chapter in the first place.

* * *

There's a grief that can't be spoken.  
As the pain goes on and on.  
Empty chairs at empty tables  
Now my friends are dead and gone.

Here they talked of revolution.  
Here it was they lit the flame.  
Here they sang about tomorrow  
And tomorrow never came.

From the table in the corner  
They could see a world reborn  
And they rose with voices ringing  
I can hear them now!  
The very words that they had sung  
Became their last communion  
On the lonely barricade at dawn.

Oh my friends, my friends forgive me  
That I live and you are gone.  
There's a grief that can't be spoken.  
And the pain goes on and on.

Phantom faces at the window.  
Phantom shadows on the floor.  
Empty chairs at empty tables  
Where my friends will sing no more.

Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me  
What your sacrifice was for  
Empty chairs at empty tables  
Where my friends will sing no more

Fred's funeral was held three days after the battle. It passed in a blur of tears intermingled with laughs as stories were told about his escapades. George sat silent, his eyes blank but tears ran almost continuously down his cheeks. At the end a sudden burst of the twins' fireworks erupted into the sky and exploded in a show to put any other to shame. George cracked a small smile.

Remus and Tonks' service was the day after and it was full of sorrow at the loss of the new parents. Teddy clung to Andromeda, he was quiet and confused and his hair was a mousy brown. Hermione clutched Draco's hand or wept into his shoulder through both services.

There was a memorial service at Hogwarts early the next week. Everyone who was able to get there was, it seemed. The lawn was full of chairs similar to Dumbledore's funeral. There were many still bearing the signs of battle. She, Harry, Ron, Draco, and Neville were all presented with plaques thanking them for their contribution in the effort to destroy the horcruxes and Voldemort. Snape was awarded a posthumous Order of Merlin, First Class for dedicating his entire adult life to bringing down Voldemort and he was interred in his own tomb near Dumbledore's by the Black Lake. Hermione suspected that when the events leading up to the war and of the battle itself were known in full, Harry would also receive an Order of Merlin.

The names of every victim of the war, all the way back to include the Potters and the Riddles were read aloud. It was a long list and each one was a blade in her heart. Kingsley unveiled a large monument near Dumbledore's tomb that listed each name engraved in the marble with a quote from The Iliad _"It is no small labor to rescue all mankind, every mother's son." _inscribed across the bottom of the stone to recognize their sacrifice.

They returned to the Weasley's for lunch after the service and the table was set up in the back yard in the usual custom of large gatherings at the Burrow. Someone decided to pay homage to their fallen loved ones by including a chair for each of them. There were now empty seats representing the loss of Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Sirius, Dumbledore, Mad-Eye, and even Snape. At first they struggled to subdue tears and the silence of the empty seats spoke louder than any conversation they could muster. Eventually the tone of the meal evolved and they told stories of each of the ones they missed. Eventually it evolved again into easier, more natural topics.

Hermione knew they would always miss those whose empty chairs sat at this table. They would struggle with how to live without them, with the horror of how they were lost, and with the guilt of living on while they were gone. Keeping their chairs empty today was their way of including them and saying 'we do not forget'. Tomorrow it would be something different. It would be something different for each of the mourners to each of the mourned. Hermione might remember Remus when she read a particular passage in a book, or Fred when she saw the light of mischief in someone's eye, she might see Sirius in the face of a handsome stranger with a loud laugh, or Tonks in the antics of Teddy. They were gone, they were missed, they were loved, but they would never be forgotten.

* * *

A/N: Forgive me for how short this chapter is, I wanted it to stand alone. So before you're upset by its brevity, remember that the last one was super long (and I posted it yesterday...) and I promise to post the next one within a couple of days. Go look up this song, for real. Eddie Redmayne 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables' Do it now.


	25. Finale

Take my hand, and lead me to salvation  
Take my love, for love is everlasting  
And remember the truth that once was spoken  
To love another person is to see the face of God!

After lunch they bade goodbye to the Weasleys and Harry and left England for warmer climes, the South of France to be exact. Ron was nowhere to be found when the time came for hugs and farewells, which hurt her feelings, but she tried to be understanding. He had at least stopped being hostile over the last week. She promised both Harry and Mrs. Weasley that she would send regular owls and let them know that she was alright and special owls for the moment they left France for Australia and the moment they found her parents.

They traveled by portkey to the Malfoy's château, which was as opulent and private as you'd expect. It had a stunning view of the Mediterranean and no neighbors in sight. It was situated about halfway between a wizarding village called Lorien and a muggle town whose name she could never remember. The first afternoon they spent was very quiet, trying to overcome the gloom of the morning's memorial service. She set her bags down in the bedroom and walked out to the French doors and leaned on the rail of the terrace. She closed her eyes and let the sun play on her face and the wind in her hair. Soon strong arms wrapped around her waist and she smiled as Draco's lips touch her neck just under her ear. She leaned back into him, so glad he was here.

"What do you want to do?" He asked, resting his chin atop her head.

She sighed. "I'm exhausted and all the crying's given me a headache. Would you mind if I lay down for a couple hours? Then we could go to dinner or something?"

"Of course, love. Do you want some time by yourself or do you want me to join you?"

"If you'd like to join me you're welcome to, but don't feel like you have to." She turned in his arms to rest her head on his chest. She was emotionally exhausted from the torturous few days of funerals and memorial services.

"I'd love to. Come with me, I've got something to show you that'll be perfect for our nap." He took her down stairs and out onto a patio that was shaded by an ancient and gnarled olive tree. In the shade of the tree there was a… well, essentially a bed, with a white tulle canopy fluttering in the breeze coming off the sea. It was a perfect spot. Draco sat on the edge and toed off his shoes. He tossed his suit jacket over the back of a nearby chair, followed quickly by his tie and dress shirt. Then he waved his wand and transfigured his suit pants into light linen pants. She followed his example and joined him, sunlight filtering through the branches of the olive and warming their skin. He was on his side facing her and she settled back into his embrace, enjoying the feel of him pressed against her back and his arm around her. He kissed her neck and pulled her in close. Lulled by the breeze and the sounds of the sea nearby they dropped off into sleep.

Hermione awoke a couple hours later as the sun was setting. Draco was lying on his back behind her. She rolled over to lean on her elbow and watch him sleep for a couple minutes. She smiled to herself and despite the horrors of the last couple years; she felt unbelievably lucky to have found Draco. Who'd have thought, with how much they hated each other as children that they'd come to mean the world to each other? She leaned down and placed several feather-light kisses across his lips. Soon he was smiling and his arms snaked up around her and pulled her over until she was lying on his chest. She leaned up to look at him and traced a finger down his jaw.

"Can I just say that I am ridiculously happy to be here with you?"

"Of course you are. I'm Draco Malfoy." He laughed as she rolled her eyes and she loved it. He so rarely _really_ laughed. "So, can I talk you into going to dinner with me?"

"A real date this time? No planning and scheming?"

"A real date: you, me, romance, wine, candles, good food… everything." He leaned up and kissed her again. "Although, I'm usually scheming something, so that I can't promise."

"I can't wait. Let me go get dressed." She gave him a pointed look telling him to stay put. She'd had to give him orders to not follow her around all the time anymore, her knee was only going to get better by gradually increasing how much she used it. His wanting to carry her everywhere wasn't helping. As much as she enjoyed it and as much as he hated seeing her struggle to get around.

"Feel free to take advantage of my mother's wardrobe. I doubt she's even worn a third of what's in there." He called after her.

After she got out of the shower she discovered that Narcissa kept a fully stocked closet at the château and she browsed the racks of silks and other expensive fabrics. She came across a one-shouldered sapphire blue wrap dress that fell just past her knees, which was good because the swelling and bruising in her knee was still visible. She was glad that Narcissa was young enough to have fabulous clothes like this; it put everything she'd brought with her to shame. She slipped on the dress and made some minor adjustments to the fit, being twenty years younger and never having borne a child her hips were narrower than Narcissa's. As she admired the dress in the mirror she wondered how Narcissa routinely put cloaks over fabulous clothes like this...

She limped over to a wall of shoes and let out a decidedly girly squeal. She knew those red soles: Christian Louboutins… oh sweet, merciful Jesus they were beautiful. Shelf after shelf of deliciously sexy, sky high heels in every color and pattern. Forget Draco, Narcissa might be her new favorite person. There was a small and secret part of Hermione that loved fashion, especially shoes. If she ever had the money or a reason to wear anything like this… She passed her hand lovingly over several pairs before she settled on a pair of nude peep toe pumps with every bit of a five-inch heel, she picked them up and inspected them adoringly. She did a little victory wiggle when she looked and saw that she and Narcissa wore the same size despite Narcissa being several inches taller. Purebloods must've bred in small feet at some point…

"You're going to try those with that knee?" Said a drawling voice from the closet door.

She immediately frowned, weighing the pros and cons. "I could put a Stability Charm on it…"

"Mhmm. Was it you that made that horrendous noise a moment ago? I didn't think you were capable of something like that…" He laughed as she stuck her nose in the air and ignored his comment.

"Just cast the charm and put the shoes on so we can go, I'm starved." He shot her a wink and went to get ready himself.

After several complicated charms she had stabilized and braced her knee well enough that she thought she could make it the few blocks to the restaurant and back without her cane. If it came down to it, she'd conjure one. She dried her hair and let it fall down her back in waves as she knew Draco liked it. She swiped on some mascara and eyeliner and decided she was ready. When she walked out into the bedroom he looked up from buttoning his shirt.

"You know… I'd like to shake the man's hand who invented high heels." His eyes roved over her slowly, bottom to top and back again. She supposed that he had gotten used to seeing her in tattered, ill-fitting clothes when they were on the run that she must look amazing in comparison. He sauntered over to her with an expression that she knew well and it brought a blush to her cheeks. He leaned down and she expected a kiss but instead his lips went to her ear and he whispered, "Leave them on when we get home." He smiled wickedly at her and she felt heat flood her entire body. She'd be lucky if she tasted the food tonight, her mind was definitely going to be otherwise occupied anticipating what he had in store for her when they got home.

She successfully, and mostly painlessly, made it to the restaurant without leaning too much on Draco and they were seated side by side at a small table in the corner of a patio that overlooked the Mediterranean. It was a muggle restaurant because they decided that they didn't want to be recognized. They had all gotten owls at the Weasley's from the press requesting interviews. Hermione was still steaming that Rita Skeeter had the gall to ask her for an interview. As if. Luckily Draco had exchanged some galleons for Euros before they left London so they could just hide in the muggle world if they chose.

They both ordered their meals in perfect French, hers thanks to a French grandmother and his thanks to his pureblood upbringing. Draco ordered a bottle of sweet red wine and they sat and sipped as they waited for their meals.

She was lost in thought looking over the water when he spoke up. "Do you realize we've only actually known each other for like… six weeks?"

She blinked. "Wow. So much has happened… it seems like much longer than that."

He put his arm around the back of her seat and pulled her a little closer. "I never thought that I'd fall for anyone, much less you, and in less than two months at that." He took a sip of his wine. "You know more about me than anyone. Period. But how much can you have learned in so short a time?"

She scooted closer and looked up at him with a smirk. "I know you curse profusely when your adrenaline is up. I know that you're incredibly intelligent. You like muggle fiction and secretly feel a connection to Mr. Darcy, you're arrogant, proud, funny, infuriating, brave. You love your mother and you're conflicted about your father. You're kind, but try to pretend you're not-"

"Alright!" He cut her off, amused. "I see you've made a study of me."

"I always study what I find interesting." She leaned into his side and sipped her own wine. He pressed a kiss to her temple.

When their food came the conversation turned to her parents and he asked a multitude of questions about them and how, as muggles, they lived differently. He couldn't fathom how they got by without magic and she reminded him that he'd see for himself when they brought them home.

By the time they were served dessert, she remembered his instructions about her shoes and was growing anxious to leave. With that thought in mind she smiled at him over the rim of her wineglass and he cocked an eyebrow. After a second he flagged the waiter down and she subtly helped him pay the bill. She might never figure out how they were so in sync with each other, but it was really quite convenient. Like just now she smiled at him for two seconds and he knew exactly what was on her mind… and the time that they managed to simultaneously Stun Crabbe and Goyle even though they were back to back. Interesting. They stood and he waved for her to go ahead of him.

He whispered cheekily in her ear as she passed, "I'm right behind you… I hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave." He gave her bottom a quick but firm squeeze and she let out a small surprised squeak.

She glared at him to cover up her surprise at his public groping and then quickly looked around to see that no one had noticed. "That was one of your cheesier lines," she said haughtily and continued out of the restaurant, extremely aware of his gaze on her backside. She tried desperately not to limp but the shoes were not working in her favor. She wished she could have that fluid, sultry gate that some women had, but alas… damn knee.

Once she made it to the curb he came up beside her and offered his arm. They walked slowly back up the hill and she noticed that with every step her knee hurt just a little more. She looked up at him, apologetically.

"I hate to do it, but I think the shoes have to go. I should've waited another week or so before I tried for heels." She stopped and reached down to remove them. "Can I make it up to you?" She smiled sweetly.

"I suppose. I'm not going to forget you know." He pretended to glare.

"I hope you don't; I was looking forward to finding out what you had in mind."

"Do you need me to carry you?" He asked and she bit her lip and nodded.

Deciding it would attract less attention than how he usually carried her, he helped her onto his back and gave her a piggy back ride the remaining couple blocks back to the house. The was thankful her dress had a full skirt so that she could maintain her modestly with her legs wrapped around him this way. When they went to the gate he veered away from the path to the door and dropping her shoes on the patio (she instantly berated him for dropping them on the stones, they could scuff!) and headed out onto the sand.

"Come swim with me?" He asked, already removing his clothes. She stood self-consciously on the sand, but looking around realized that there were no houses in sight… was that for real or was it a magical illusion? He noticed her looking, "no one will see us, love. There are charms and wards around all the Malfoy properties."

She nodded and slipped her dress over her head. He reached around and unclasped her bra and slid it down her arm. She shivered and looked up to see that he apparently planning on this swim being skinny dipping, which she had to admit she'd never done before. He looked beautiful in the pale light from the moon. She shivered again when he slid her knickers down her legs. Then he stood and swept her into his arms and carried her into the nearly mirror-smooth water. It was warmer than she'd thought it would be and she sighed and leaned back in his embrace to float on her back. He let go except for her hand and they both floated silently for a few minutes, gazing up at the stars just beginning to come out.

"I can't believe I'm really on holiday in the south of France. I mean… do you remember where we were a week and a half ago?" She asked with half a laugh.

"Ugh, don't remind me. Let's not think about that." He tugged on her hand and pulled her closer. When the side of her leg brushed his abdomen she attempted to stand, but found the water was too deep. He appeared to have his feet on the bottom so she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders to keep her head above water.

"Hm. That's better." She whispered and leaned in to kiss him. The kiss quickly turned heated and his hands roamed her skin and settled on her hips to pull her up against his arousal. After several minutes of things only getting more intense she tore her mouth away.

"Let's go inside," She suggested, already moving to unwind herself from him.

"Let's stay here," he countered. She stilled and looked at him in confusion while he was sliding a hand between them."

"But…" Her train of thought was interrupted by his activities. She cleared her throat and tried again, "the water… it's not conducive…" He chuckled against her throat, where his teeth were currently attached.

"Are you a witch or not?" He demanded.

.

They spent a little over a month lounging in the Malfoy's opulent château. They shopped, they ate, they drank wine, they swam in idyllic blue waters of the Mediterranean every day. Gradually their bodies returned to healthy weights, their bruises faded, and Hermione's knee strengthened though the limp would plague her for several more months. They had come to France fully stocked with reading material as Hermione had said that was how she wanted to spend her time once the war was over. They did spend a lot of time reading; sometimes they read the same book, taking turns reading it out loud. Sometimes he rested with his head on her stomach reading his own book. Sometimes she sat between his legs in the sand and leaned on his chest. They ended up spending many hours without their books enjoying the sun and the sea, swimming and floating endlessly. They spent so much time in the water that even Draco was sporting a bit of a tan and Hermione's dark brown hair was beginning to show copper streaks so light they could almost be called blond.

Narcissa visited and spent a weekend with them, wanting to escape the manor where Lucius was on house arrest until his trial. The aurors had decided that despite his actions during the final battle, he still had to be held responsible for his deeds during the decade prior. Apparently he was not enjoying being stuck there. Their visit… was awkward. Hermione could tell that while Narcissa was polite, she did not approve of Draco's being with her. She'd have chosen differently for her son if she'd been able. She also got the impression that Narcissa assumed that their relationship was a fling and she would just have to bide her time until she could get Draco married off to some pureblood witch. She tried not to let it bother her and she reminded herself constantly that these beliefs had been ingrained into Narcissa her entire life. It had probably never even occurred to her that changing her way of thinking was an option. Since she wasn't planning on going anywhere, she decided to let it lie for now. Narcissa was a bit hormonal with the pregnancy and Hermione did not want to cross her. Draco said that she would come around and in time would realize that he did love her and that her heritage was not a factor in their relationship.

On evening towards the end of their stay they were lying in a tangled heap of limbs, her head on his chest. The windows were open and a breeze was blowing in off the sea. Draco's hand that had been caressing her back stilled.

"Knut for your thoughts." She smiled, that was usually his line.

"I was just wondering…. What's next?" He asked softly, his hand resuming its path.

"What do you mean?" She traced her fingers in small circles on his stomach.

"Have you thought about what you want to do after everything settles down?"

"A bit…" She moved to rest her head on the pillow next to his so that she could see him. "Have you?"

"Some." He rolled to his side to face her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Am I in your plans?" He pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose.

She smiled. "Of course. I have a lot of ideas about what I might want to do, but right now the only constant is you. I told you a while back that you were it for me." She saw him smile and knew that he'd had a moment of insecurity. It surprised her each and every time; she was supposed to be the insecure one in this relationship not him.

"I love you, you know." He whispered against her lips, trailing light kisses across them. "I always will."

She kissed him back, "And I love you. Always." He propped his head up with his elbow and looked down at her, more relaxed than before.

"Alright then. Finishing school? No idea. Jobs? No idea. A place to live? No idea. Being together? Absolutely." He trailed off and looked at her intently for a moment. "What are your thoughts on marrying me someday?" He asked quietly. Her heartrate doubled at his words.

"I… I feel no need to rush to the altar, but marrying you would certainly fit in to my plans of never letting you go." She answered, smiling.

Fin.

* * *

**A/N:**That's right, it said Fin. There's no epilogue because I'm just going to go straight into a sequel. I've enjoyed writing these characters so much that I am just going to continue the story and have more adventures with them. Should be fun! I do need to spend some time with the hubs though…. He's been a bit neglected while I've been obsessed with writing this fic. Bless him, he hasn't complained at all. I promise as soon as I gather my thoughts into a cohesive story I'll start posting.

Again, a million thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing. Your feedback really means a lot, y'all are the best!

I'll post an update to this story when I put the sequel up so you'll get the notification, I haven't named it yet so I can't even tell you what to be on the lookout for. Hopefully you'll hear from me soon! Don't forget to tell me what you think about this fic! Thanks again for reading.


	26. Sequel Update!

Hello my lovelies! The prologue is up for the sequel called _Threat: Unknown_! And more good news: I'll be posting a full chapter tomorrow! I can't wait to hear what you think!

MzMalfoy


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